Md. Rabiul Karim, Singra ( Natore)

Historic Chalan Beel, once celebrated through the popular regional adage "Beel dekhte Chalan, gram dekhte Kalam," is rapidly losing its ecological splendor. Spanning across 62 unions in 10 upazilas of Natore, Pabna, and Sirajganj districts, the vast wetland is shrinking in size, water flow, and depth due to unplanned infrastructure projects, human interventions, climate change, and severe siltation.

Historically, Chalan Beel spanned over 1,000 square kilometers, with the Imperial Gazetteer of India recording its flooded expanse at 550 square miles in 1827 and 800 square miles in a 1968 survey. However, official records and research indicate a dramatic decline over the past century.

According to data from Wikipedia and Banglapedia, Chalan Beel's area has experienced an average annual loss of 1.83 square kilometers between 1909 and 2021. Siltation and man-made barriers have reduced its monsoon water expanse to roughly 368 square kilometers, dropping further to just 85 square kilometers during the dry season.

Researchers and local environmentalists point to several anthropogenic factors choking the wetland. The construction of the Baghabari-Tarash flood control embankment in 1980 and the 55-kilometer Hatikumrul-Bonpara highway in 2001 severely disrupted natural water flows. Between 1995 and 2010, over 1,188 kilometers of paved roads, 113 bridges, 855 culverts, 90 growth centers, and 21 sluice gates were constructed across the region. Furthermore, the excavation of thousands of fish ponds over the past decade and the establishment of high-tech infrastructure like the Singra High-Tech Park have blocked natural drainage channels, creating widespread waterlogging.

The degradation of the wetland has severely impacted biodiversity and local livelihoods. Chalan Beel was historically renowned for numerous freshwater fish species, supporting a fishery economy involving around 177,000 fishermen. Today, the proliferation of illegal and destructive fishing gear, combined with receding water levels, has pushed native fish species toward extinction.

The traditional production of dried fish (shutki), which sustained thousands of fishing families during the off-season, has also plummeted alongside dwindling catches. The crisis is compounded by the drying up of feeder rivers; the construction of a sluice gate at Charghat in Rajshahi in 1961 cut off the Baral River's flow, starving the wetland of water. According to the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), nearly 90.24 percent of the canal network has filled up with silt, turning once-vibrant channels into dead drainage paths.

Md. Abu Zaffer Siddiqui, general secretary of the Singra Environment and Nature Movement, warned that without immediate, planned interventions to halt wetland encroachment and restore navigability, Chalan Beel will soon lose its historical identity.

Echoing these concerns, BADC Executive Engineer Md. Sajjad Hossain stated that climate change, siltation, and unplanned infrastructure have severely impacted the basin, emphasizing that authorities must regularly dredge canals and prioritize planned infrastructural development to save the vital wetland.