Home ›› 09 Feb 2022 ›› Nation
Pollution, poisoning, use of small looped nets by fishers, bird hunting poachers, along with deforestation, lack of management and conservation are resulting in ruining the biodiversity at Tanguar Haor.
The haor is a unique wetland ecosystem of national importance and international focus consisting of 51 swamps located between Dharmapasha and Tahirpur in Sunamganj.
The number of trees, birds and fishes has declined significantly on the 12,057-hectare haor in the past few years, said locals.
A recent survey conducted by the Bangladesh Bird Club, the Forest Department and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) found evidence of declining wildlife in Tanguar Haor.
The survey said the number of birds in Tanguar Haor has decreased by 31,904 this year compared to the last year.
This year the bird count found 27,170 birds in the haor. In 2021, the number of birds was 59,074, 51,368 in 2020, 1,46,030 in 2019, 59,542 in 2018, 91,236 in 2017, 42,558 in 2016 and 52,299 in 2015.
Regarding the reduction in the number of birds, the founding president of Bangladesh Bird Club, Inam Al Haque said birds also choose their habitat. “If they find a problem, they become refugees and move elsewhere.”
Ranjit Chandra Das, a resident of Tahirpur in Sunamganj, who has been catching fish in Tanguar Haor for 30 years, said, “Once upon a time, there were big fishes in the haor but for the past 8 to 10 years, big fishes are not found like the past.”
“Now, we can net only a few types of small fishes after waiting for hours. And the catch fails meet my daily consumption demand let alone selling in the market,” he added.
The people of the area now have to rely on pangasius, tilapia and varieties of carp, he added.
Not only fish but also birds and other animals have been reduced as many beels have dried up.
The greenery scene and indigenous fish are part of history now.
No information about fish production in Tanguar Haor was found in any government department.
Tahirpur Upazila Fisheries Officer Sarwar Hossain said that 55 species of fish are under the threat of extinction in the haor.
According to locals, the number of trees in the haor is constantly decreasing due to deforestation.
Abdul Haque, a resident of Sreepur in Tahirpur said deforestation has been going on in Tanguar Haor for the past two decades. People are felling Hijal and Karach trees, which are mainly used as fuel and during fish farming.
Vijay Sen Roy, general secretary of the central committee of Save the Haor Movement, said there has been no development in the haor for years. This haor has been destroyed in the name of various development projects.
The pressure of a large number of tourists and their indifference towards the environment and biodiversity are also harming the haor.
The haor is under threat of plastic pollution, staying on a boat with lights at night and playing music on loudspeakers.
According to sources, at least 500 motorboats enter the haor every day during the monsoon.
Besides the tourists, the haor has been damaged by the onrush of hilly water from the Khasi and Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya, India on the upstream.
The haor has started filling up with sandstone, coal and limestone coming from the hills along the slope.
The haor was declared an environmentally critical area in 1999. In January 2000, the haor was declared as Ramsar Site of the country under Ramsar Convention for protection of biodiversity.
The district administration of Sunamganj is in charge of the haor since the joint project of the Ministry of Environment and Forests and IUCN was completed in 2017.
In 2001, the Ministry of Environment and Forests took the responsibility of Tanguar Haor.
A project was taken in December 2017 at a cost of Tk 3.47 crore while a project was being implemented with a grant of about Tk 22 crore.
According to the report of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Ministry of Planning, the first project claimed to have co-management committees in 64 villages, but in reality, most of such committees do not exist.
During the project, it was said 1, 56,000 Hijal-Karach trees would be planted in Haor, but in reality, no such trees were found.
Kashmir Reza, a prominent Haor researcher, and president of the Environment and Haor Development Organisation, said alternative employment and alternative fuels need to be provided to protect the environment and biodiversity in Tanguar Haor.
“Embankments should not be erected in the name of crop protection. It is important to ban the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in the haor,” he said.
In order to increase fish production, fishing in haor should be stopped for two months during the breeding season. Fishermen should be given incentives. At the same time fishing with current nets and plastic ashes should be stopped, added Kashrmir.
He also said in order to protect the haor, the local people need to be more involved in its management. If necessary, Tanguar Haor Authority can be formed.
Sunamganj Deputy Commissioner Jahangir Hossain said vigilance in the haor cannot be ensured as there is no permanent accommodation for police, magistrate and other law enforcement agencies in Tanguar Haor.
He also said a decision has been taken to stop motorboats in the protected area of the haor.
Regular campaigns are being conducted to protect Tanguar Haor, he added.
