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Introduction
Field survey is an investigation , generally a descriptive study ,done “in the
field”. It stairs towards enhancement of our knowledge about and our nature.The term
applies to several varieties of epidemiological study. Form childhood till now our
knowledge get confined in the pages or book. It helps us to fly in nature, accumulate
practical knowledge and strong our theoretical knowledge. Geography & Environment
such a scientific discipline where the whole world is lab room and the nature is the
material of lab..
wildess playing with cloud on sajek
Kanglak hill tracking
If green ,wilderness ,serenity and tranquility are mojo , make trip to Sajek valley;
the queen of hills and the roof of Rangamati is emerging tourist spot in Bangladesh
which scenic beauty of hills and wildness playing with cloud fills our mind with joy.
The serpentine road through the hills is inchanting and makes the journey memorable.
The best scene is the sunset and sunrise on helipad of sajek. No word is enough to
define the beauty of Sajek valley .Not only for the beauty of but also it is the perfect
place for the socio economic survey. It is difficult to arrange it but not impossible.We
the students of Geography & Environment of PUST choose the destination of our field
survey in Sajek Valley on Kanlank Para tribal people. Our honorable course teacher Dr.
Md. Nazmul Islam sir arranged this field survey under the course of field work-II; socio
economic survey. Habibur Rahman sir and the respected assistant professor of MBSTU
Md. Jasim Uddin sir also guided us.
Physical settings of survey area:
Sajek valley the emerging tourist spot in Bangladesh situated among the hills of
Kasalong range of mountain in Sajek union Bagaichari upazilla in rangamati district.
The valley is 1800feet above sea level.It is a union located in north of Chittagong hill
tracts under Rangamati zilla. It is situated 67km north west from Khagrachari town and
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95km north west form Rangamati city. The borderof Bangladesh and Mizoram of India
is 8km east form Sajek.The Name of Sajek Valley came form Sajek river that orginates
form Karnafuli river.
Google map of sajek valley
The BGB camp is located in Sajek which is the highest attitude BGB camp in
Bangladesh. A helipad is location inside the camp. The last village in Sajek union is
kalankapara. As KalankaPara is very close to India and after Sajek there is no security
arrangement , the BGB seldom permits to enters tourists to Kalanka Para. Kalanka Para
is the highest inhabited area of Sajek. Main transportation of this area is “ChanderGari”
The four wheels “ChanderGari” took us to the dream place. In some places roads are too
high on the hills that when the vehicles start to ascend feel the lower part of the body
start disconnecting from the upper part. After a while when the vehicles goes down
experience the opposite feeling. We had to cross some BGB camp and need to register
names on army camp for security region.
The serpentine road of Sajek
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Vegetation Cover
Jhum cultivation is practiced on sloppy area of konglak hill, where vegetation is
covered by jhum system. Main crops in Konglak hill include rice, maize, pumpkin,
banana, bamboo, turmeric, ginger etc. Jhum system involves cleaning a piece of land by
setting fire or clean wing the area for growing crops, vegetables and fruits.
Jhum cultivation and tribal women
Here also fruit garden with coffee tree included fruits are matta, lemon, lime. The
main attractive thing is the orange garden on the hill. The smell of orange felt when
walk near the garden. There are also different types of vegetation found on the hilly
area. In Sajek valley we found the diversity in species of plants and the natural settings
of vegetation.
Orange garden
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Socio economic condition of livelihoods
The economy of the hill living indigenous people is land based .Traditionally,
nearly all the hill living people were engaged in subsistence swidden cultivation known
locally as “JUM” (also referred as Slash and Burn” or, “Shifting Cultivation”).In
particular the Pankho and Khumi people remain predominantly depend on subsistence
Jum agriculture. The traditional Jum cultivation played a vital role in the hill living
people economy. Some hill living people are encouraged to take up commercial fruit
gardening. But due to problems of marketing , storage and credit facilities and soil
condition there was limited success in this type of livelihood. Many hill living peoples
economy depends on forestry. Some hill living people living as casual and seasonal
labourers. For all this reason, the socio economic condition of hill living people is not
standard, they live poorly with their poor economy.
Education System
While Sajek a newly designated tourist spot in Rangamati’s Baghaichari
upazila,is booming with tourism activities day by day,education of hundreds of school
kids in the area is facing various problems and uncertainity.The area hardly saw any
improvement in education systems as teachers of those schools are yet to receive any
government facilities ,including regularization of their jobs under the ministry
concerned. Here children cannot continue their study after primary level. There is only
one primary school where the total students are only 50 and the teachers are only
person. They faces many struggle for the hilly road and so it is very difficult for them to
educate themselves.
The climate change also effect the daily
attendance of them. For those reasons
many Lusai family mignated to the very
neared land of mizonam where their
relatives on pinmogenitons lived and
somewhat the place beauty gone under
control of them ……
Sajek junior high school
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Ruiluipara primary school
Water & Sanitation System
There are many small rivers and streams are connected with this river where
kasalong and masalong are much known. And finally the river Sajek got connected
with Karnaphuli where it somewhat started from India. Sajek is about 1800ft high from
the sea level;so there was huge crisis of pure drinking water at the top of the valley.
The tribal people had to bring water from nearest stream which may have flowing
below many hundreds of meters and at dry season they had to go more far distances for
the water. During nainy season they collect rain water and store 6 months. Their
sanitation system is not certain well. The people whose family back ground is little
well, they use saptielatrine , on the other hand, people use hanging latrine. Sometimes
it also seen that many of them there are so poor using open latrine.
Stored rain water
Captured from the Kanglak para
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Tribal women carried water from nearest waterfall
The BGB and other NGO worked for develop and ensure the medication, sanitary,
hybrid wind-solan diesel electricity and also the solution of pure drinking water.
Food Habit And Culture
There are different Bengali cuisine are available there, it cost
around BDT to 600BDT according to the menu you have
choosen. There get wild chickens and vegetables. Park is also
available for foreigners. There are also some halal restaurants for
the Muslims. But there will never find beef in the total area.
Vegetables are available. There are some traditional food
such as bamboo chicken, Dim Kaban, Bash korol.
Bamboo chicken
DimKaban
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Bash corol
There are some coffee shops and they make coffee really fine. Packaged snocks,
cakes, biscuits are limitedly available, but a little high in price. Since they have to carry
these stuff to the whole mountain.
Ethnic Religion And Culture
Sajek is beautiful in all seasons; locals are mostly from Tripura and Lusai Tribes.
Few Chakma ,Marma, Tripura, Pankua, Lusai and Sagma are mentionable.
A Lusai family
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Lusai tribe:The Lusai are one of the marginalized groups in Sajek. Lushai living in the
sajek valley claim that they settled there before the British colonization of India. They
have a distinct culture, language, customs, and values.The Pankhu who belonged to a
Lushai group. Their language has a strong resemblance to Lushai.
Traditonally they are Aminism but believed in many Goddness.
Tripura tribe
Tripura tribe:Tripura live on both side of the border in India and Bangladesh. Sajek is
the border area and originally inhabited by indigenous peoples. Tripura has several
diverse ethno-linguistic groups, which has given rise to a composite culture. Music and
dances are integral part of the tribal people of Tripura. Bwisu, Durga puja, Navaratri,
Gajan etc are the main festival of Tripura tribe.
Church on Kanglak para
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Women seem to be more involved in economic activities here. Tea stalls, food joints
and road side market places are dominated by women. People ingeneral are gentle
welcoming and friendly. Picking Fruits and vegetables early in the morning is a major
trade here. They are not Fluent Bengali but the young population speak English
confidently.
Major Challenges Of Local Community
 Impassible path: They have to come and go through the slope of hill.
 Lack of water: Mostly their natural lvlihood is blocked by water.
 Rabbish: Tourist damage the environment by throwing bottles, packets, papers
etc.
 Privacy: Sometimes their privacy also damaged by tourist.
 Education system: Only one primary school is here and their examination
centre is so far more than 25km.
 Power supply: They have no any type power supply like electricity, solar
system from the government.
 Market place: Here there is not a single market to collect their vegetables and
other necessary things.
 Lack of food: The insuffciency of protein type food is so much lack, like fish
 Security: They have to face security problem as it the border area.
 Land: They have no ownership of land.
 Medical Centre: There is no hospital here.
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Tourism and Oppurtunities
Sajek was unexplored for a long time and recently it emerged as a tourist spot as
its outstanding natural beauty. The place doesnot have modern tourist facilities but
tourists mostly enjoy the nature and culture of the place. If a poll is arranged to vote
beautiful places in Bangladesh then this undulated area will surely take the top
position. It is known as the paradise of Bangladesh and roof of Rangamati. Though the
valley is rangamati but to tourists prefer the route from Khagrachari to Sajek valley
through Dighinala Bazar, Bagaihat bazar and Machalongheat. Major transport is
chanderGani which is like a four wheel geep. Tourist can also go to Sajek from
Rangamati by engine vessel. It takes 5-6 hours in that route.
Route towards Sajek Valley from Khagrachari is passing through Dighinala Army
Camp. Every tourist is required to take permission from 10 No Baghaihat Police &
Army Camp.
There are many accommodation facililities (hotel/resort/boanding) Rumnoy resort
, Sajek, Mountain INN, Meghkabboo, Ruilui queen, Hapong Tong Resort etc.There are
a lot of restaurants and food zone Coffee Dawr, Rock Prosanti canteen,Kajalong guest
house etc..
Conclusion and recomendation
If we call Sajek Valley the queen of the hill for its natural beauty then it will
not be overstated. If one likes hill, nature, sky must visit the Sajek. A human being
become splashed by seeing its natural beauty specially when walk in the cloud and it’s
touching the body then feel that living in the paradise. From helipad one get a nice view
of sunset and sunrise.
In 2016, Sajek Valley become the most popular tourist destination in
Bangladesh. A few years ago it was so difficult to reach this place. The authority should
keep in mind to develop more and more so that a number of tourist increasing day by
day. There are many tourism purpose cottages but they should add their some unique
ideas such as if there is a garden in cottage or rocking cradle for the tourist, it will be
more interesting. A interesting idea also upgraded that if tourist can lead the tribal life
with tribal food, dresses, then it will be more interesting and also eco-friendly.
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Along with they make sure the tourist security, medical care and other
services. Education system, electricity problem, adequate water problem also should
solve in this place so that the local people should not be shifted from this heaven in
future. Finally, everyone have to make new new plan to get this heaven more and more
peaceful……..
GE 2nd batch group with respectful teachers and kanglakpara primary school teachers before conquer the Kanglak Hill
GE 2nd batch group with respectful teachers before conquer the Alutila cave