The government has outlined a development project worth Tk61,439.92 lakh for the next five years from 2026 to protect the Arial Beel.
This information was revealed in a study conducted by the Institute of Water Modeling (IWM) at a day-long workshop titled "Survey on the Quality of Life and Management of Water and Land Resources in the Arial Beel Area" at the Water Development Board on Thursday.
The workshop has been implemented by the Department of Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Development.
The study was presented by Gautam Chandra Mridha, director of the Irrigation, Groundwater and Wetland Management Department of the Institute of Water Modeling (IWM) and team leader of the study.
Arial Beel, located in Sreenagar upazila of Munshiganj, is the third largest wetland in Bangladesh, with an area of 136 square kilometers. But about one-third of this wetland has already been occupied by land grabbers.
The study found that the proposed study covers Nawabganj, Dohar upazila of Dhaka district.
According to the information given in the study, most of the canals surrounding the Arial Beel have been blocked with earthen embankments. Due to the embankment of Sreenagar-Dohar, eight canals are disconnected from the Padma River.
Even the culvert size of Nayabari and Kharia canals is not sufficient, resulting in low water flow. As a result, silt has accumulated in the beel, causing disaster and water pollution.
Now the government plans to make the Arial Beel wetland free from encroachment, normalize water flow and control floods. It has been recommended to open a total of 8 closed canals, along with water control measures for three canals along the Padma River.
In addition, an action plan has been formulated for fish sanctuaries on a total of 7.78 hectares of land and tree plantation on 12 hectares of land at a total of 10 places in Arial Beel. 4.03 hectares of land will be acquired and ponds will be dug.
In addition, an initiative has been taken to implement the community-based eco-tourism proposal in the Gadighat area.
The project proposes the construction of a 4.90 kilometre-long road from Gadighat to Chhatrabhog, which is passable throughout the season. In total, the proposed project is estimated to cost Tk61,439 lakh.
Of this, the cost of acquiring 4.03 hectares of land is Tk1,492 lakh, compensation for about 50 hectares of crops is Tk123 lakh, the cost of the Fisheries Department for digging 50 ponds is Tk795 lakh, 12 fish sanctuaries and related expenses are Tk90 lakh.
The cost of the Forest Department for forestry on 12 hectares of land is Tk28 lakh. In addition, the cost of a hundred biogas plants is Tk50 lakh. The cost of eco-tourism is Tk2,130 lakh.
Speaking as the chief guest at the event, Lieutenant General (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, adviser to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture, said: "Arial Beel is a haven of natural beauty in this country. There is no alternative to taking coordinated initiatives to protect this beel."
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser on Environment, Forests and Climate Change, said: "The canals adjacent to this bill, where dams are being used to stop the flow of water and fish farming, must be removed.”
She directed that the obstructions in the canals be removed quickly through legal measures.
Adilur Rahman Khan, adviser to the Ministry of Industries and the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, said that work must be done to restore the Arial Beel to its previous state while protecting the environment.
He urged officials to try as much as possible, even if it cannot be restored to its previous state.
At this time, other speakers also requested that all concerned not do anything harmful to the local residents to get a healthy Arial Beel.
They requested all the concerned departments to properly implement the development projects of the Arial Beel on a priority basis.
At the same time, they emphasized the sustainable management of the beel for the sake of protecting its dying ecosystem, biodiversity, increasing fish and crop production and improving the quality of life.
At this time, various guidelines for protecting this bill were highlighted to the officials present. Nazmul Ahsan, secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources, chaired this workshop.
Earlier, Mohammad Habibur Rahman, director general of the Department of Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Development, delivered a welcome speech.
The workshop participants were divided into five groups and reviewed the results and made recommendations on the topics of integrated water management, core arial beel area, agriculture, fisheries and livestock development; biodiversity, ecosystem and waste management, and infrastructure management and ecotourism development.
