Photo Collage

By Md Mamun Islam
 
RANGPUR, May 16, 2025 (BSS) - Besides creating attractive natural beauty to draw nature lovers in Badarganj upazila of Rangpur, the re-excavated Bharardaho Beel has become a shining example of the revival of lost ecosystems and a tourist attraction.
 
The watery area of re-excavated Beel is now filled with indigenous and migratory birds and a lush green forest of 213 species of rare and endangered wood, fruit, medicinal trees and flower plants along the 100 feet wide banks, creating a spectacular scene. 
 
The Beel has become a sanctuary for flora, fauna, birds, fish, grasshoppers, butterflies, squirrels, bees, earthworms, chameleons, lizards, hornets, snakes, beetles, fireflies frogs, forest ants, mongoose, monitor lizards, foxes, rats, rabbits, mosquitoes, dung beetles and other living beings. 
 
The dazzling greenery all around and the chirping of migratory bird flocks, their free roaming on water and in the air and orderly flying scenes have given the re-excavated Bharardaho Beel a heavenly look attracting visitors.
 
People are coming to the 11.59-acre Bharardaho Beel with 6,500 trees on the bank daily to enjoy the revitalized ecosystem, biodiversity, and breathe in the improved environment and inherent beauty.
 
Previously, the Beel had been non-existent for decades due to illegal encroachment by some locals to cultivate Boro rice and other crops, and the area had become a flat cropland.
 
Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) re-excavated the Beel under the 'Expansion of irrigation in greater Rangpur district through best uses of surface water and conservation of rainwater (EIR) project' four years ago. 

Local residents Akkas Ali and Hafizur Rahman said an incredible landscape has been created the following re-excavation of the Beel and plantation of over 6,500 saplings of rare and extinct species of wood, fruit, medicinal trees and flower plants on its bank.
 
"Many people are flocking to the Beel, which is rich in flora and fauna and a bird sanctuary, to enjoy the chirping of birds, the green nature like a botanical garden, and the beauty of blooming flowers," Hafizur added.
 
Abdur Rahman and Rehana Rahman, a visiting couple from Nilphamari, said that the flying guest birds, the free movement of their wings and their landing in the water bodies added a unique beauty to the greenery all around.
 
Riverina People Director and Begum Rokeya University Professor Dr Tuhin Wadud told BSS that the re-excavated Beel has revived the ecosystem, at a time when water bodies are drying up, threatening native fish, insects, birds and animals with extinction.
 
"The Beel has become a sanctuary for migratory and local birds, indigenous small fishes, insects, small snails, algae, moss, aquatic plants and other stem-less watery plants," said Dr Tuhin, also a noted river expert and environmentalist.
 
He fears that leasing the water body to greedy locals in the name of fish farming or setting up a tourist centre there could hamper the growing attraction of the re-excavated Bharardaho Beel.
 
He suggested the authorities concerned not lease the Beel to any private body, declare it as a sanctuary and ensure complete safety for birds, fishes and all living beings there.
 
"BMDA should ensure better management of the water body and convert it into an eco-park and sanctuary for birds and endangered species of native fish, aquatic life, flora and fauna for further improvement of the ecosystem," Tuhin said. 
 
EIR Project Director and BMDA Superintending Engineer Md Habibur Rahman Khan said people are enjoying the stunning beauty of the re-excavated Bharardaho Beel amidst the chirping of guest birds, their graceful flight and the greenery all around. 
 
"The beautiful Bharardaho Beel with revived ecosystems, filled with the chirping of guest birds, the greenery of various rare species of plants, and picturesque views, has factually become a popular tourist destination in the district," he added.