Urpad Beel is a natural
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
located at Agia village in
Goalpara district of
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
. This lake is situated 9 km away from
Goalpara
Goalpara, Pron: ) is the district headquarters of Goalpara district, Assam, India. It is situated to the west of Guwahati.
Etymology
The name Goalpara is said to have originated from the word "Gwaltippika" meaning Guwali village, or The villa ...
, the district headquarters of
Goalpara district. Urpad Beel is one of the biggest natural lakes of
Lower Assam
Lower Assam division is one of the 5 administrative divisions of Assam. It was formed in 1874, comprising Undivided Kamrup district of Western Assam, undivided Darrang and Nagoan districts of Central Assam and Khasi & Jaintia hills of Meghalaya ...
.
Aquafauna
Urpad Beel is a natural habitat to many varieties of fishes and birds. The lake is an important habitat for
Greater adjutant,
Cotton Pigmy Goose,
Baya Weavers,
Lesser whistling duck
The lesser whistling duck (''Dendrocygna javanica''), also known as Indian whistling duck or lesser whistling teal, is a species of whistling duck that breeds in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They are nocturnal feeders that during ...
and
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...
. This lake is also known for aquatic plants such as
water lily and
common water hyacinth.
[
]
Preservation
On 24 February 2020, Assam Soil Conservation and Social Welfare Minister Pramila Rani Brahma laid the foundation stone of a project worth INR 1 crore to beautify the Urpad Beel.
See also
* List of lakes of Assam
References
Lakes of Assam
Goalpara district
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