Rangamati ) is a district in south-eastern Bangladesh.

It is a part of the Chittagong
Division.and the town of Rangamati serves as the headquarters of the district.
Area-wise, Rangamati is the largest district of the country. The total population is
508,182 according to 2005 census of which tribal 52% and non-tribal 48%. The
number of males is 287,060 and the females are 238,043 (Census 2001). The
density of population is 83 per square kilometre (Census 2001). The number of
household is 103,974 having the household size 4.8 (Census 2001).

The total population is divided into Bangalees and eleven tribes (ethnic
minorities): Chakma, Marma, Tanchangya, Tripura, Pankua, Lushai, Khiang,
Murang, Rakhain, Chak, Bowm,Khumi. Tribal population : (as per census of
2005 ): Chakma-186,395, Marma-44,727, Tanchanga-18,607, Tripura-6,697,
Pankho- 2,118, Bowm-1,053, khyang- 791, Lusai- 217, Chak- 177, Rakhain-70,
Khumi- 50, Gurkha-03, Etc.-174. As per 1991 census, the religious break up of the
population of the district were: Buddhist 53.83%,Muslim 39.28%, Hindu 5.62%
and Christian 1.12%. Religious institutions Pagoda 1230, Mosque 1059, Temple
65, Church 16. Genderwise, male constituted 53.59% and female constituted
46.41% of the population.

Rajbon Bihar, Rangamati

It is 1 km far from Moitri Vihar situated at Rangamati municipality. Rajbon Bihar
is one of the lovely Buddhist temple of Bangladesh. It is Located
at rangamati district. It is one of the well-known tourist place of Rangamati just
few km. from the main bus terminal. You can hire a boat or a auto-rickswa to visit
the Bihar. It is a Pindapata temple. About 50 to 70 monks reside here regularly.
Visitor are requested to keep in mind thist it is a place of prayer, so do not do
anything that hart any one by you. You must have to enter that place with bare feet
to respect their tradition. In rajbon Bihr, there are many monkey stay around the
Place. You can give them some food/nuts. There is a 7 stored building and wit a
name each floor represents a paradise. Entering into the main prayer area, There
are some small buildings/prayer hall inside. A musk of Buddha Prepared from
bronze and kept with a wall for the tourist inside the Bihar. No matter from where
you are looking at that musk, you'll feel that its looking at you. There is an eldest
monk, named "Ven Sadhanananda Mahathero (Bana Bante)", who is around 94
years of old, and lots of Buddhist used to visit with tribute to get Please from him,
and the god. From alldirections it is a beautiful tourist spot. So you are welcome in
this site to visit.

Shuvolong Waterfalls
Shuvolong a place in Borokol sub district, situated about 25kilometers
(11kilometers – as the crow flies) away from Rangamati. There are few waterfalls
in Shuvolong zone with the largest one falling from as high as 300 feet. In the past
more than a few years, this place has twisted into a tourist journey’s end due to
stunning waterfalls and the neighboring market. Shuvolong is simply easy to get to
by rapidity boat or motor boats from Rangamati. Shuvolong Waterfalls is a good-
looking waterfall in Rangamati. It is the attractive place of Rangamati. The only
obtainable path to influence at the waterfall is through water, through the lake.
People visit there by boat. It is a well-known place with the tourists for the
waterfall, high hills and the natural neighboring it offers. This waterfall is just in
advance the Shubholong Bazaar. Means from the waterfall, it will take from one
place to another 5 minutes to reach at bazaar. So that Shuvolong is with no trouble
easy to get to by speed boat or motor boats from Rangamati.

Rangamati: Jhulonto Bridge, Parjatan Kendra

Jhulonto Bridge (Bengali name) is the landmark icon of Rangamati and the total
height of this bridge is 335 feet. This hanging bridge is established on Kaptai Lake,
spreading over 680 km of water was formed by damming the Karnaphuli river.It's
a popular tourist travel destination. This bridge is made during 1984 or around that
time. Actually this is not a true hanging bridge. It has two pillars at both sides,
inside water. It was rainy season, and not that much tourist available here at this
period. I came to know, you can not make a foot step during winter(peak time for
the tourist). You can have a boat ride here. Just needs to higher a boat. Price can
vary, so ask several boats for your service, and pick the cheapest one

Kaptai Lake
Kaptai Lake the largest man-made freshwater body in Bangladesh. Though created
primarily for hydroelectric power generation, it contributes to produce significant
quantity of freshwater fishes, navigation, flood control and agriculture, etc. The
reservoir was created by damming the river KARNAFULI near KAPTAI town in
the CHITTAGONG HILL TRACTS (Latitude 22°09'N and Longitude 92°17'E). The lake
is confined within the hill district RANGAMATIand embraces the upazilas of
Rangamati Sadar, Kaptai, Nannerchar, Langadu, Baghaichhari, Barkal, Juraichhari
and Belaichhari.

The 'H'-shaped Kaptai Lake has two arms, joined by a narrow gorge near
Shubalong, a part of the old Karnafuli river. Kasalong, the right arm of the lake, is
fed by two streams, the Mayni and the KASALONG, in the north and laterally by the
Karnafuli. The left arm, Rangamati-Kaptai is fed by two streams, the Chengi in the
north and the RINKHYONG in the south. The Karnafuli forms three prominent loops
one at Rangamati, one at Dhuliachhari and the other at Kaptai. The Rangamati and
the Dhuliachhari loops are now under the reservoir of the earth-filled DAM. The
Kaptai Lake has drowned almost the whole of the middle-Karnafuli valley and the
lower reaches of the Chengi, Kasalong and Rinkhyong rivers. The shoreline and
the basin of Kaptai Lake are very irregular. Its important morphometric and
hydrographic features are as follows: surface elevation 31.1m, surface area 58,300
ha, volume 524,700 cu m, total annual discharge 1,707,000 cu m, storage ratio
0.31, mean depth 9m, maximum depth 32m, outlet depth 15.5m, mean annual
water level fluctuation 8.14m, growing season 365 days, total dissolved solids 76
ppm and specific conductance 144 mhos at 25°C.
Geologically, the lower part of Kaptai Lake, in and around the Kaptai-Rangamati
region (ie Kaptai Syncline), is composed mainly of yellowish brown, fine to
medium grained, massive to cross-bedded sandstone with alternating shale and
silty shale (Tipam Sandstone Formation) and the upper part is featured by
yellowish brown, fine to medium grained, subangular to sub-rounded, moderately
to poorly sorted, massive to thick-bedded and occasionally cross-bedded sandstone
with quartz granules, pebbles, clay galls and contains well preserved leaf
impressions (Dupi Tila Formation). However, around Shubalong and Barkal, the
lake mainly comprises Bhuban formation. As the local people remove the
protective vegetation around the lake, these rocks are exposed to the monsoon rains
and thus eroded easily. This results in LANDSLIDES, and the loose rock material is
washed down the slopes and carried by rivers into the lake. As a result, the lake is
silting up rapidly. By the early 1990s, in its 30-year existence, it had already lost
about 25% of its volume due to siltation.
Apart from generation of hydroelectricity, the lake has become an important
resource for some other considerations. It has created a diversified and long
waterway. Many places that used to take a day or even more to reach have now
become an hour's trip by speedboat or launch. It has become much easier to exploit
forest resources that had earlier been inaccessible. The whole lake is now a great
tourist attraction. The lake's contribution to the development of agriculture and
fishery is significant. Since the water level of the lake is maintained at different
heights in different months of the year, the lakeshores are under an automatic
irrigation system and are very fertile. People practice controlled farming in about
6,075 ha of land on leasehold basis through agreements with the local government.
The estimated life of the lake is 90 years, at the end of which its bed is expected to
be fully covered by silt. Meanwhile, the lake continues to serve as a valuable
reservoir for hatchery and fish production as well. Fish produced in the lake meets
local demand and is also supplied to Dhaka and other parts of the country. The
average annual production of fish is more than 7,000 tons. However, turbidity is
high during the monsoon, which inhibits plankton production. The runoff carries a
high nutrient load, and as the water clears, production intensifies. Blue-green and
green algae, and diatoms dominate the phytoplankton community, which are
important food for clupeids and carps. The zooplankton population is dominated
by the rotifers. Crops of other zooplankters are very low, a characteristic of most
tropical waters. Benthic fauna predominantly includes the bloodworms
(chironomids), bivalve molluscs, annelids and chaoborids.
The records of field observations of the Bangladesh Fisheries Development
Corporation and Freshwater Research Sub-station and extensive ARG's (Aquatic
Research Group) show that the landings of major carps decreased drastically in
1985 and cover the lowest in the history of Kaptai Lake fishery. It happened
because of over-harvesting of carps. Present production of fish amounts to more
than 100 kg/ha. Following the gradual decline in proportion of carps, production of
pelagic clupeids has increased substantially, dominated by two species, Chapila
(Gudusia chapra) and Keski (Corica soborna), now amounting to more than 50%
of the total catch. An inventory of fish fauna indicated eight species Catla
catla, Cirrhinus mrigala, Lebeo rohita, L. calbasu, L. goinus, Notopterus
chitala, Wallago attu, and Gudusia chapra as having major commercial
importance. Kaptai Lake has a vast aquaculture potential. Proper and adequate
stocking, implementation of fishing regulations, introduction of improved
management can make the lake more viable and long-sustained.
The ecological damage of the lake recently assessed shows that water pollution due
to use of fertilisers and pesticides around the lake is affecting life in the water. In
1966, the share of big fishes in the total fish production was 78%, by 1993 it had
come down to 2%. Also, more than five tons of human excrements and other
wastes are reported to flow into the lake everyday. As 85% of the population living
around the lake depends on the water for drinking, cooking, washing and bathing,
health risks have increased sharply. Even the drinking water in Rangamati town
supplied by the Public Health Engineering Department contained bacteria over 10
times of the acceptable number. The risk of malaria increased manifold with the
huge body of stagnant and slow-moving water in the lake. The lake also created
other adversaries. For example, the lake made it easier for many to illegally extract
the forest resources, especially from places where communication was otherwise
difficult, and this led to denuding of the reserve forest of 126.91 sq km and of
khasland and hilltop forest of 606.06 sq km.