Chalan Beel

Coordinates: 24°31′N 89°01′E / 24.52°N 89.01°E / 24.52; 89.01
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Chalan Beel
Chalan Beel
Chalan Beel is located in Bangladesh
Chalan Beel
Chalan Beel
LocationNatore (40%)

Sirajganj (35%)

Pabna (25%)

(
Primary inflows
Atrai River and 46 others
Basin countriesBangladesh
Surface area26 km2 (10 sq mi)
Average depth2 m (6.6 ft)
Max. depth4 m (13 ft)

Chalan Beel (Bengali: চলনবিল) is a wetland in the Sirajganj, Natore and Pabna districts of Bangladesh. It is a large inland depression, marshy in character, with rich flora and fauna.[1] Forty-seven rivers and other waterways flow into the Chalan Beel.[2] As silt builds up in the beel, its size is being reduced.[3]

History

The most important factor dominating the river history in Bengal is the large proportion of silt carried by its rivers. It is the silt which has created the land and made it habitable by building it up through the centuries. It is silt which is fertilising the land, but the silt, which has been the most beneficial gift of nature, has also produced most of the river problems now confronting the people of Bengal. Silt deposited in the old river channel beds has forced them to change course, creating problems for abandoned areas while assisting in developing new areas.[4]

The main volume of water from the

Ganges River began flowing through the Padma channel in the sixteenth century. Silt from the Padma helped in building up the southern portion of north Bengal. This is the most plausible explanation for the existence of a depression around Chalan Beel. The Teesta was active in the region until it changed its course in 1787. This territory lies in between the land raised in the north by the Teesta system when it was active and that in the south by the Padma.[5]

Another possible explanation for the depression is ongoing course changes in the Padma. In Ven den Brouck's map of Bengal, prepared in 1660, the main channel of the Padma is shown flowing through

Dhaleswari and Buriganga before meeting the Meghna. At that time the Jamuna was virtually non-existent and the Brahmaputra used to flow through its old channel.[6]

Historical depictions of Chalan Beel
Van den Brouck's map of 1660
James Rennell's map of 1776

Impact of railways

An estimate taken in 1945 found about 47 rivers and other waterways flowed into the Chalan Beel, a

embankments.[2]

Flora and fauna

The banks of the beel are covered with dense stands of

babla, nol, dhol kolmi, simul, and date palm. Seven species of frogs and one species of toad represent the amphibian fauna. Chalan Beel has a total of 34 species of reptiles, including ten turtles and tortoises, nine lizards and various snake species. There are 27 species of mammals from 12 families.[1]

Pollution

Chalan Beel has experienced the negative effects of pesticide use in the surrounding farmlands. In 2010, Bangladesh Agricultural University research, found pesticide use has increased sixfold since 1982, and the fish population of Chalan Beel has halved in the same period. A 25 kilometre highway constructed on the Beel has divided into two and caused havoc on the fish breeding by disrupting their movement. Commercial overfishing, grill and drag net and other destructive fishing have harmed the fish population.[7]

Chalan Beel

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-984-31-1090-9
    . Retrieved 29 November 2007.
  2. ^
    ISBN 81-7596-330-1
    . Retrieved 29 November 2007.
  3. ^ Alam, Mohd Shamsul; Hossain, Md Sazzad (2012). "Chalan Beel". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  4. ^ Majumdar, S.C., Chief Engineer, Bengal, Rivers of the Bengal Delta, Government of Bengal, 1941. p. 109–110
  5. ^ Majumdar, S.C., p. 54
  6. ISBN 81-7079-270-3
  7. ^ "Bangladesh's once plentiful rivers run low on fish". The Independent. London. Agence France-Presse. 26 December 2010. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
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