The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Kurigram

Cowdung become the source of livelihood to many poor and distressed families in the current season in Kurigram district.

Many poor people are engaged in different ways in making and selling cowdung sticks in the char areas.

Middle class families use cowdung sticks as fuel, while some of them use fire-wood jute sticks natural gas cylinder and leaves of trees as fuel for cooking sources said.

The demand for cowdung is increasing day by day following the shortage of natural gas.

At present there are not sufficient trees in this district to be used as fire-wood.

Nurbanu Begum of Khochabari village under Ulipur upazila of the district with her kids have been passing her life very miserably for want of food. Finding no other alternative she began to collect cow-dung from pastures and made sticks with them. She sold those in the market and earned some money to maintain her family.

Like Nurbanu about three hundred families in different parts of the district upazila Sadar, Rajathat, Nageswari, Burungamari, Chilmari, Fulbari and other upazilas are selling cow dung sticks to make a living.

It is said here that cow dung is a good quality fuel for cooking all things. But it is very hard to collect cow-dung.