352
Beel along its northern boundary, the trash fi shes
compose c 73 % of the total yield from the wetland (Kar 2004 ).
Haodor Beel
Haodor Beel (Plate 20.43 ) is situated in
Karimganj District of Assam about 8 km away
from Karimganj town along National Highway
(NH) 44. It was a very uneutrophic, almost weedless wetland with clean water during 1964–1965.
Today, it is a highly eutrophic wetland with full
of weeds. There is abundance of BGA amongst
the phytoplankton and cladocerans amongst the
zooplankton.
In addition to above, there are many small
wetlands in the form of ponds, tanks, etc., which
have been dealt with in the table given above.
20.2.5 Wetlands in Brahmaputra
Valley Region of Assam
Concomitant to Barak valley region, the
Brahmaputra valley region also has a large number of different types of wetlands. An account of
some of these wetlands is given below.
20.2.5.1 Deepor Beel
Deepor Beel , also spelt Dipor Bil (Plate 20.44 ), is a
perennial freshwater wetland, located between 26°
05′ and 26° 09′ N and 91° 36′ and 91° 45′ E, about
10 km SW of Guwahati City, in Kamrup District of
Assam, India. It is situated at a surface elevation of
53 m MSL and has a total area (water spread + others) of 4,014 ha (40.1 km
2
) at FSL and 10.1 km
2 at
DSL. However, an area of 414 ha has been declared
as “Deepor Beel Sanctuary” by the Government of
Assam. It has a maximum depth of 4 m at FSL
about 1 m at DSL. It has been declared as a Ramsar
wetland in November 2002. It is categorised as representative of the wetland type under the Burma
monsoon forest biogeographic region. About 1,200
families in 14 villages live around Deepor Beel.
They earn their livelihood mainly through fi shing.
The word ‘Deepor’ is derived from the
Sanskrit word ‘Dipa’ which means ‘elephant’.
‘Beel’ means ‘wetland’. As such, Deepor Beel is
a wetland inhabited by elephants. Deepor Beel
was possibly an important dockyard of the Tai
Ahom as well as the Mughals. Possibly, Kampitha
and Rambrai Syiemship (the supreme political
authority and known as the Syiemship in
Meghalaya) had control over this area.
Plate 20.43 Haodor Beel
20 Wetlands of India
Beel along its northern boundary, the trash fi shes
compose c 73 % of the total yield from the wetland (Kar 2004 ).
Haodor Beel
Haodor Beel (Plate 20.43 ) is situated in
Karimganj District of Assam about 8 km away
from Karimganj town along National Highway
(NH) 44. It was a very uneutrophic, almost weedless wetland with clean water during 1964–1965.
Today, it is a highly eutrophic wetland with full
of weeds. There is abundance of BGA amongst
the phytoplankton and cladocerans amongst the
zooplankton.
In addition to above, there are many small
wetlands in the form of ponds, tanks, etc., which
have been dealt with in the table given above.
20.2.5 Wetlands in Brahmaputra
Valley Region of Assam
Concomitant to Barak valley region, the
Brahmaputra valley region also has a large number of different types of wetlands. An account of
some of these wetlands is given below.
20.2.5.1 Deepor Beel
Deepor Beel , also spelt Dipor Bil (Plate 20.44 ), is a
perennial freshwater wetland, located between 26°
05′ and 26° 09′ N and 91° 36′ and 91° 45′ E, about
10 km SW of Guwahati City, in Kamrup District of
Assam, India. It is situated at a surface elevation of
53 m MSL and has a total area (water spread + others) of 4,014 ha (40.1 km
2
) at FSL and 10.1 km
2 at
DSL. However, an area of 414 ha has been declared
as “Deepor Beel Sanctuary” by the Government of
Assam. It has a maximum depth of 4 m at FSL
about 1 m at DSL. It has been declared as a Ramsar
wetland in November 2002. It is categorised as representative of the wetland type under the Burma
monsoon forest biogeographic region. About 1,200
families in 14 villages live around Deepor Beel.
They earn their livelihood mainly through fi shing.
The word ‘Deepor’ is derived from the
Sanskrit word ‘Dipa’ which means ‘elephant’.
‘Beel’ means ‘wetland’. As such, Deepor Beel is
a wetland inhabited by elephants. Deepor Beel
was possibly an important dockyard of the Tai
Ahom as well as the Mughals. Possibly, Kampitha
and Rambrai Syiemship (the supreme political
authority and known as the Syiemship in
Meghalaya) had control over this area.
Plate 20.43 Haodor Beel
20 Wetlands of India