Jaflong

Jaflong
জাফলং
Hill station
Map
Piyain River, Jaflong, Sylhet
Jaflong attracts tourists for its natural environment
Aakhta Fall, Jaflong

Jaflong (Bengali: জাফলং) is a hill station and tourist destination in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. It is located in Gowainghat Upazila of Sylhet District and situated at the border between Bangladesh and the Indian state of Meghalaya, overshadowed by subtropical mountains and rainforests. It is known for its stone collections and is home of the Khasi tribe.[1][2]

Introduction

[edit]

Jaflong is a tourist spot in Sylhet division. It is about 60 km from Sylhet town and takes two hours drive to reach there. Jaflong is located amidst tea gardens and hills. It is situated beside the river Sari in the lap of Hill Khashia.

Tea Garden, Jaflong Sylhet

Attractions

[edit]
  • Collection of rolling stones
  • Colorful tribal life
  • Dawki and Piyain Rivers[3][4]
  • Tea Garden
  • Orange and Jackfruit gardens
  • Betel leaf and areca nut gardens
  • Dawki Bazar
View of River in Jaflong .

Stone crushing

[edit]
Stone extraction from the bed of the Goyain River at Jaflong

The land grabbers occupied government Khasiland and reserved forestland and extracted stone by cutting small hills polluting the environment of Jaflong. They also established crushing mills on the forestland without permission from government.[5]

Forestation program

[edit]

In early 2005, Laskar Muqsudur Rahman, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Sylhet Forest Division, observed that Jaflong that he heard in his boyhood as the 'lungs' of Greater Sylhet was at stake due to on going encroachments and establishment of unauthorized stone crushing mills. He took initiatives to recover the land and establish a recreation-cum-botanical park named as 'Jaflong Green Park'. The first foundation stone for the thematic Green Park at Jaflong was laid by Laskar Muqsudur Rahman, Deputy Conservator of Forests in 2005 with the cooperation of local forest staffs led by Forest Ranger Mohammad Ali. Nonetheless, at the inception it was a challenging task due to local conflicts and procedural constraints. The forestation program in Jaflong Green Park has been started under supervision of the joint forces, Jaflong Foundation and Forest Department. They have jointly taken up the forestation program with about 100 hectares of grabbed land. Under the forestation program, various types of trees, including hybrid Akash-moni, are being planted in the park to maintain ecological balance.[6]

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Sylhet:Places of interest". Archived from the original on 2019-05-01. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
  2. ^ Ali Nawaz (2012). "The Khasia". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  3. ^ Masud Hasan Chowdhury, "Piyain River", Banglapedia
  4. ^ Kazi Matinuddin Ahmed, "Dauki River", Banglapedia
  5. ^ "Stone-crushing at Jaflong creates health hazards". New Age. 2006-02-02. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  6. ^ "Afforestation programme in Jaflong Green Park begins". New Age. 2007-07-02. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
[edit]

25°09′48″N 92°01′03″E / 25.163383°N 92.017524°E / 25.163383; 92.017524