that time. The town contained a government college, and an industrial school for sericulture. Most of the public buildings were severely damaged by the earthquake of 12 June 1897. Throughout much of the early part of the twentieth century there was a daily steamer service on the Ganges which connected it to rail-heads that led to the then provincial capital of Calcutta as well as other cities in the province of Bengal. Rajshahi witnessed great atrocities by the Pakistan army in the 1962 Rajshahi massacres of Bangladeshis. During the Bangladesh Liberation War, Pakistan Army created an ad hoc Rajshahi brigade, deployed in September. Rajshahi was made a city corporation in 1991. Geography Topography Geographically Rajshahi is situated within Barind Tract, 23 m (75 ft) above sea level, and lies at . The city is located on the alluvial plains of the Padma River, which runs through southern side of the city. It is bounded on the east, north and west by Paba Upazila (subdivision of a district) of the district. Rajshahi district is bounded by Naogaon District to the north, Natore District to the east, and Chapai Nababganj District and the river Padma & Kushtia district to the south. Climate Under the Köppen climate classification, Rajshahi has a tropical wet and dry climate. The climate of Rajshahi is generally marked with monsoons, high temperature, considerable humidity and moderate rainfall. The hot season commences early in March and continues till the middle of July. The maximum mean temperature observed is about during the months of April, May, June and July and the minimum temperature recorded in January is about . The highest rainfall is observed during the months of monsoon. The annual rainfall in the district is about . Although once noted for its air pollution, since 2014 the levels of particulates have been dramatically reduced by various efforts to switch to cleaner fuels and to battery-powered vehicles, to pave earth streets, to encourage walking and bicycle transport, and to plant vegetation. The levels of PM10 dropped by 67% and PM2.5 which are particularly harmful to human health, dropped from 70 to 37 micrograms per cubic metre between 2014 and 2016. Parks and greenery Shaheed A.H.M Qamaruzzaman Central Park and Zoo is one of the popular public places of Rajshahi city. A wide area with green trees and grasses houses different animal species. It is located by the bank of the