Bhola Island 4.04

Bhola Island is the largest island of Bangladesh with an area of 1441 km². It is most of the land area of Bhola District in Barisal Division.GeographyIt is situated at the mouth of the Meghna River. There are ferry and launch services from Dhaka and Barisal.The Island is 130km long and has a population of 1.7 million. A 1776 map indicates that it was ova-shapedl yet it is currently more elongated because of erosion by the Meghna River. It is only 6 feet above ocean level at the most elevated point.CuisineBhola Island is known for its Buffalo curd (doi) which is unique in Bangladesh. The process that has been used has remained unchanged. It is made in traditional clay pots and the process takes 18 hours. It is popular in the Island and is served in special occasions such as weddings, festivals and other special occasions.PowerThe Island has faced chronic power issues, although natural gas was discovered in Shahbazpur in 1994. The government decided to build a Power Plant which is expected to fully operational by August 2015. The state owned Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) is installing a high voltage transmission line from Bhola Island to Borhanuddin Island.MediaThere are 14 community radio stations on air.Natural DisastersIn 1970 it was affected by the devastating Bhola cyclone which completely devastated the southern half of the island and also destroyed the rice crop.In 1995, half of the island became flooded, leaving 500,000 people homeless.