Assignment

Problems in Rural Areas of Bangladesh

Submitted by
Sadia Noor

Roll: 2025171006

Section: B

Department of Business Administration in Marketing

Faculty of Business Studies

Submitted to
Brig. Gen. Shafaat Ahmad

PhD, NDC, PSC (Retd)

Professor

Course: Bangladesh Studies

Bangladesh University of Professionals

 Problems in Rural Areas of Bangladesh

Introduction: Bangladesh is a small developing country which is densely populated. The total

population of Bangladesh is 161.4 million and 63.37% of population lives in rural areas. These

people living in rural areas have to face various problems in their day to day life. Villages are the

lifeline of our country. There are total 68038 villages in Bangladesh. This is a huge number and

almost all the villages have some common issues for which people living there have to suffer.

Though it’s a perception of every person out there that life in villages are peaceful and soothing.

Well, this is not wrong in whole but life in villages is equally troublesome also. The changes in

the urban landscape go mostly unnoticed compared to that in villages, especially in developing

countries. The overall village scene appears with a new look after even minor changes occurring

there. The rural look in Bangladesh has undergone few transformations in the last 3-4 decades.

Prior to this period, the villages virtually remained stuck in time, one that does not move.

Rural Life in Bangladesh: Most of the people of this country live in the rural area and they

always try to change their luck by hard working. They always try to survive themselves.

Different types of people live in the rural areas but most of them are illiterate, uneducated and

ignorant. Only a number of the people are educated. So, different types of superstition and

obstacle are there in the rural societies. These people have to depend on nature always. They

cultivate their crops by depending on nature. If natural disaster comes any time they have to

challenge with disaster. Sometimes natural calamities destroy their crops, cattle, houses and their

goods. There are many positive aspects as well. Rural people are able to take fresh and green

vegetables, fruits because they cultivate these in their land. They are also able to enjoy less

polluted environment and grow up within the serenity of rural beauty.

Problems Faced by Rural People: As the socio-economic condition of Bangladesh is

weak, its opposite effect has severely affected the countryside of the country. There are several

problems prevailing in the rural areas of Bangladesh. Some of these are described underneath:

1. Poverty: Rural poverty continues to be significantly higher and more extreme than urban.

While the decline of extreme poverty in rural areas has been impressive - from 52.3

percent in 2000 to 35.2 percent in 2010

- the poverty level remains almost two

times than that of urban areas. Extreme

poverty continues to be a rural

phenomenon and the poorest in the

poorest regions are also less able to cope with shocks such as natural disasters. Rural

poverty and food security thus remain critical development challenges with the need for

growth to be inclusive and pro-poor.

2. Insufficient Medical Service: Rural areas often lack sufficient numbers of health care

professionals, hospitals, and medical clinics.

The other problem is the long distances that

ambulances and patients must travel. Because

ambulances and other emergency vehicles must

travel so far, rural residents with emergencies

receive medical attention more slowly than their

urban counterparts. The long distances that people must travel make it more difficult for

patients with health problems to receive medical care. In yet another problem, rural areas
 are also much more likely than urban areas to lack mental health care, drug abuse

counseling and programs, and other services related to physical and mental health.

3. Sanitation: Rural people hardly find sanitation a significant part of their health. The

quality of sanitation coverage is

another area of concern.

Bangladesh has almost completely

eradicated the practice of open

defecation, but a study revealed

that only 37 percent of the

country’s latrines are hygienic but

35 percent are unclean. While improved water supply coverage in rural Bangladesh is

now above 97 percent, water quality still poses a significant challenge. In private

piped-water taps sampled across\s the country, 80 percent were found to be

contaminated with E. coli bacteria. Water salinity, iron, and other bacterial pathogens

pose additional threats.

4. Shortage of Educational Facilities: Rural schools often face hurdles that urban and

suburban schools are much less likely to

encounter. It is often difficult to recruit

and retain quality teachers in rural areas.

Also, because of poverty, most of the

parents don’t intend to send their children

to school. Due to the lack of funding, the

school authorities can’t provide quality education to students.

5. Unemployment: The rural educated people are rising day by day but they do not get

proper job in the village and they do not have experience of any work either. To look for

job they shift to the city but they can’t manage any good job. When they are unable to fill

their purpose they start criminal activities.

6. Domestic Violence: One of the sad facts of rural life is domestic violence. And the

victims of domestic violence are mostly women. These women often find it difficult to

get help and/or to leave their

abusers wherever they live.

However, it is often even more

difficult for rural women to do

so. Rural police may be

unenlightened about domestic

violence and may even know

the abuser; for either reason, they may not consider his violence a crime, and abused

women may be that much more reluctant to tell the police about their abuse. Another

problem concerns the availability of battered women’s shelters, which provide invaluable

services for abused women and any children they might have. These shelters tend to be

found in cities, which still do not have nearly enough shelters. Rural areas generally lack

shelters, and any shelters that exist are often long distances from the homes of abused

women.

There are many other problems that prevail in rural areas of Bangladesh. If the government

and non profitable organizations take necessary measures to prevent these, life of the rural

people will be more relaxing.

Conclusion: Rural life in Bangladesh has many disadvantages. But we cannot ignore the

advantages too. The serenity in rural life is the most desired thing in the life of city people.

Though the serenity can never camouflage the problems that rural people faces. To prevent

these problems the Govt. and NGOs can work hand in hand. Also the people living in

villages have to work hard to change the distressed situation.