Dipor Bil, also spelt Deepor Beel (Pron: dɪpɔ:(r) bɪl) (''bil'' or ''

beel A beel ( Bengali and Assamese: বিল) is a billabong or a lake-like wetland with static water (as opposed to moving water in rivers and canals - typically called in Bengali, in the Ganges - Brahmaputra flood plains of the Eastern Indian ...

'' means "lake" in the local

Assamese language Assamese (), also Asamiya ( ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the north-east Indian state of Assam, where it is an official language, and it serves as a '' lingua franca'' of the wider region. The easternmost Indo-Iranian langua ...

), is located to the south-west of

Guwahati Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...

city, in

Kamrup Metropolitan district Kamrup Metropolitan district is one of the 35 districts in Assam state in north-eastern India. It was carved out of the erstwhile undivided Kamrup district in 2003 and covers an area equivalent to the area under the jurisdiction of the Guwahat ...

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 ...

, India. It is a permanent freshwater lake, in a former channel of the

Brahmaputra River The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. I ...

, to the south of the main river. It is also called a

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (Anoxic waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...

under the

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It ...

which has listed the lake in November 2002, as a

Ramsar Site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

Ramsor sites
Considered one of the largest

s in the Brahmaputra valley 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 Meghal ...

, it is categorised as representative of the

type under the

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

monsoon forest biogeographic region.http://envfor.nic.in/divisions/csurv/Wetland%20Inventory.pdf Wet Land Inventory.pdf, Deepor Beel, pages 195–202 The Dipor Bil is reported to provide, directly or indirectly, its natural resources for the livelihood of fourteen indigenous villages (1,200 families) located in its precincts.http://www.globalresponse.org/gra.php?i=1/08 Protect Wetland Bird Paradise/India Freshwater fish is a vital protein and source of income for these communities; the health of these people is stated to be directly dependent on the health of this wetland ecosystem. A member of Deepor Beel Fishermen's Cooperative Society has succinctly stated: "Our forefathers protected this wetland and we are committed to do the same as we depend on the wetland for our livelihood. We will protect this wetland at any cost and against any odds".

Etymology

The name Deepor Beel is stated to be derivative of the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

word ''dipa'' which means elephant, ''-r'' means "of" and ''bil'' means wetland or large aquatic body in Assamese language, inhabited by elephants.http://wikimapia.org/2889727/Deepor-Beel Deepor beel

History

It is claimed that beel was an important

dockyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance ...

of the Tai- Ahom as well as the

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

. The medieval history reports of Ahom-Mughal conflicts. It is also stated that Kampitha and Rambrai Syiemship (the supreme political authority is known as the Syiemship in

Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of Assam: (a) the United Khasi Hills and J ...

). had control over this area.

Access

It is located 13 km South West of Guwahati on the

National Highway National highway or National Highway may refer to: * National Highways (England) * National Highway (Australia) * List of National Roads in Belgium * Brunei National Roads System * National Highway System (Canada) * Trans ...

(NH. 31), on the Jalukbari-Khanapara bypass, alongside its north western boundary. PWD road skirts the northern fringe of the Rani and Garbhanga Reserve Forests on the south. The National Highway 37 borders the beel on the east and north-east and the

Assam Engineering College Assam Engineering College ( Assamese: অসম অভিযান্ত্ৰিক মহাবিদ্যালয়), established in 1955, is located in Guwahati. It is the first engineering college of Assam and is affiliated to Assam S ...

Road on the north. Also, minor roads and tracts exist in the vicinity of the beel. The beel is about 5 km from the Guwahati Airport (LGB Int. Airport). A broad gauge railway line skirts the lake.

Topography and geology

The beel is bounded by the steep highlands on the north and south, and the valley formed has a broad U-shape with the Rani and Garbhanga hills forming the backdrop. The geologic and tectonic history of the region provide the links to the hydrology and channel dynamics of rivers and pattern, and intensity of land use in the area. It is commonly stated that the beel together with those adjoining it are an abandoned channel of the Brahmaputra system. While the beel and its lowland fringe are said to be underlaid by recent alluvium consisting of clay, silt, sand and pebbles, the highlands immediately to the north and south of the beel are made up of gneisses and schists of the Archaean age.

Hydrology

The Basistha and Kalmani rivers and local monsoon run-off are the main sources of water to the lake, between May and September. Khonajan channel drains the beel into the Brahmaputra river, 5 km to the north. It acts as a natural stormwater reservoir during the monsoon season for the Guwahati city (stated to be the only major storage water basin for the city's drainage, with about four metres depth of water during monsoon dropping to about one metre during the dry season. The beel has a perennial water spread area of about 10.1 km², which extends up to 40.1 km² during floods. However, an area of 414 ha has been declared as "Deepor Beel Sanctuary" by the Government of Assam. As per a Remote Sensing Study the wetland area is reported to have reduced to 14.1% (405 ha) from 1990 to 2002. Temperatures in the beel vary from 10.6⁰ to 32⁰C. During the winter months, when the size of the lake reduces in area by about fifty percent, the shore area (up to one kilometre) is cultivated with rice paddy when the climate is also relatively cool and dry. The tropical monsoon climate prolongs from May to September when it is humid. Pre-monsoon showers are experienced between March and May.

Flora

Tree in new leaves (Tectona grandis) I IMG 8133

The hydrophytic vegetation of the beel has been classified, based on ecological adaptation, into the following categories with their floristic elements.Save Deepor Beel Now or Never by Indrajit Dutta
/ref> These are: *Aquatic vegetation like Giant Water Lily,

water hyacinth ''Pontederia crassipes'' (formerly ''Eichhornia crassipes''), commonly known as common water hyacinth is an aquatic plant native to South America, naturalized throughout the world, and often invasive outside its native range.aquatic grasses,

water lilies ''Water Lilies'' (or ''Nymphéas'', ) is a series of approximately 250 oil paintings by French Impressionist Claude Monet (1840–1926). The paintings depict his flower garden at his home in Giverny, and were the main focus of his artisti ...

and other submerged, emergent and floating vegetation are found during the summer season. *In the dry areas, during winter, aquatic and semi-aquatic vegetation are seen *In deep open water area,

marshy A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

lands, mud flat, emergent vegetation, water hyacinth patches, net-grass land patches are reported *Migratory water-fowl, residential water-fowl and

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

avifauna Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight s ...

are common in

paddy field A paddy field is a flooded field of arable land used for growing semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in southern China, associated with pre-A ...

areas, dry

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

areas and scattered forest areas. A total of 18 genera of

phytoplankton Phytoplankton () are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater ecosystems. The name comes from the Greek words (), meaning 'plant', and (), meaning 'wanderer' or 'drifter'. ...

are reported from the core area of the beel ecosystem out of which species of ''Oscilatoria'' and ''Microcystis'' are dominant. List of aquatic plants identified in the beel are: *''

Eichhornia crassipes ''Pontederia crassipes'' (formerly ''Eichhornia crassipes''), commonly known as common water hyacinth is an aquatic plant native to South America, naturalized throughout the world, and often invasive outside its native range.Pistia stratiotes'', ''

Ottelia alismoides ''Ottelia alismoides'', commonly known as duck lettuce, is a species of aquatic plant native to Asia and northern Australia. References External links * * Flora of Korea Monocots of Australia alismoides {{Monocot-stub ...

'', ''

Lemna minor ''Lemna minor'', the common duckweed or lesser duckweed, is a species of aquatic freshwater plant in the subfamily Lemnoideae of the arum family Araceae. ''L. minor'' is used as animal fodder, bioremediator, for wastewater nutrient recovery, and ...

'', ''

Potamogeton crispus ''Potamogeton crispus'', the crisp-leaved pondweed, curly pondweed, curly-leaf pondweed or curled pondweed, is a species of aquatic plant (hydrophyte) native to Eurasia but an introduced species and often a noxious weed in North America. Descr ...

'', ''

Vallisneria spiralis ''Vallisneria spiralis'', also known as straight vallisneria, tape grass, or eel grass is a common aquarium plant that prefers good light and a nutrient rich substrate. In the wild, it can be found in tropical and sub-tropical regions worldwide ...

'', ''

Hydrilla verticillata ''Hydrilla'' (waterthyme) is a genus of aquatic plant, usually treated as containing just one species, ''Hydrilla verticillata'', though some botanists divide it into several species. It is native to the cool and warm waters of the Old World in ...

'', '' Ipomoea reptans'', ''

Azolla pinnata ''Azolla pinnata'' is a species of fern known by several common names, including mosquitofern, feathered mosquitofern and water velvet. It is native to much of Africa, Asia (Brunei Darussalam, China, India, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines) and ...

'', ''

Spirodela polyrhiza ''Spirodela polyrhiza'' ( ''S. polyrrhiza'') is a species of duckweed known by the common names common duckmeat, greater duckweed, great duckmeat, common duckweed, and duckmeat. It can be found nearly worldwide in many types of freshwater habitat ...

'', '' Eleocharis plantaginea'', ''

Nymphaea alba ''Nymphaea alba'', the white waterlily, European white water lily or white nenuphar , is an aquatic flowering plant in the family Nymphaeaceae. It is native to North Africa, temperate Asia, Europe and tropical Asia (Jammu and Kashmir). Descript ...

'', '' Nymphaea rubra'' and '' Sagittaria sagittifolia''. *''

Euryale ferox ''Euryale ferox,'' commonly known as prickly waterlily, makhana or Gorgon plant, is a species of water lily found in southern and eastern Asia, and the only extant member of the genus ''Euryale''. The edible seeds, called fox nuts or ''makhan ...

'', a giant water lily with edible seeds, are leased to earn revenue for the government. Other lake shore vegetation include: *'' Eupatorium adoratum'', ''

Achyranthes aspera ''Achyranthes aspera'' (common names: chaff-flower, prickly chaff flower, devil's horsewhip, Sanskrit: अपामार्ग ''apāmārga'') is a species of plant in the family Amaranthaceae. It is distributed throughout the tropical world. I ...

'', ''

Cyperus esculentus ''Cyperus esculentus'' (also called chufa, tiger nut, atadwe, yellow nutsedge, and earth almond) is a species of plant in the sedge family widespread across much of the world. It is found in most of the Eastern Hemisphere, including Southern Eur ...

'', ''

Phragmites karka ''Phragmites'' () is a genus of four species of large perennial plant, perennial reed (plant), reed Poaceae, grasses found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Taxonomy The World Checklist of Selected Plant Famil ...

'', '' Vitex trifolia'', '' Accium basilium'', '' Saccharum spontaneum'' and '' Imperata arundinacea''. Dominant tree species in the nearby

Deciduous forests In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

in the beel basin are species of ''

Tectona grandis Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...

'' or common teak, ''

Ficus benghalensis ''Ficus benghalensis'', commonly known as the banyan, banyan fig and Indian banyan, is a tree native to the Indian Subcontinent. Specimens in India are among the largest trees in the world by canopy coverage. It also known as the " strangler fig ...

'', ''

Shorea robusta ''Shorea robusta'', the sal tree, sāla, shala, sakhua, or sarai, is a species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The tree is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet and across the Himalayan regions . Evolution Fossil evidence from l ...

'' and '' Bombax malabaricum''. In the surrounding forest area, aquarium plants, medicinal plant and

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

of commercial value are reported.

Avifauna

The beel is a natural habitat to many varieties of birds. 219 species of birds including more than 70 migratory species are reported in the beel area. The largest congregations of aquatic birds can be seen, particularly in winter, with a reported recorded count of 19,000 water birds in a day. Some of the globally threatened species of birds like

spot-billed pelican The spot-billed pelican (''Pelecanus philippensis'') or gray pelican is a member of the pelican family. It breeds in southern Asia from southern Iran across India east to Indonesia. It is a bird of large inland and coastal waters, especially larg ...

(''Pelecanus philippensis''),

lesser adjutant The lesser adjutant (''Leptoptilos javanicus'') is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Like other members of its genus, it has a bare neck and head. It is however more closely associated with wetland habitats where it is solitary ...

stork (''Leptoptilos javanicus''),

Baer's pochard Baer's pochard (''Aythya baeri'') is a diving duck found in eastern Asia. It is a resident bird in North and Central China, formerly bred in southeast Russia and Northeast China, migrating in winter to southern China, Vietnam, Japan, and India. ...

(''Aythya baeri''), Pallas's sea eagle (''Haliaeetus leucoryphus''), greater adjutant stork (''Leptoptilos dubius''). Spotbilled pelican

Among the large number of migratory water fowl, the

Siberian crane The Siberian crane (''Leucogeranus leucogeranus''), also known as the Siberian white crane or the snow crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes. They are distinctive among the cranes: adults are nearly all snowy white, except for their ...

(''Grus leucogeranus'') regularly migrates to this habitat during its annual journey. This is in addition to the large congregation of residential water birds seen in the lake. Considering the richness of the bird varieties found in the beel, the

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

has declared Deepor Beel as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Inte ...

(IBA) with high priority for conservation.

Aquatic fauna

Surveys have revealed 20 amphibians, 12 lizards, 18 snakes and 6 turtle and tortoise species in the beel. Over 50 commercially viable species of fish, belonging to 19 families have been identified, which supplies stock to other nearby wetlands and rivers. The beel provides food, acts as a spawning and nursery water body; some of the species breed within the beel.

Land fauna

Wild

Asian elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living species of the genus '' Elephas'' and is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west, Nepal in t ...

s (''Elephas maximus''),

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, ...

jungle cat The jungle cat (''Felis chaus''), also called reed cat, swamp cat and jungle lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to the Middle East, the Caucasus, South and Southeast Asia and southern China. It inhabits foremost wetlands like swamps, littoral ...

and the protected

barking deer Barking may refer to: Places * Barking, London, a town in East London, England ** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking ** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...

, Chinese porcupine and sambar are found in the beel. Herds of elephants are reported in the beel.

Utility of the beel

The inhabitants around the villages located in the periphery and the catchment of the beel use the beel for: *Fishing *As a waterway for transporting the villagers of the southern boundary to the N.H. 37 *Collect fodder for domestic cattle and collect aquatic seeds such as giant water lily, ''Nymphea'' sp. etc. *Raise

boro __NOTOC__ Boro may refer to: People * Boro people, indigenous peoples of Amazonas, Brazil * A variant spelling for the Bodo people of northeast India * Charan Boro, Indian politician * Isaac Adaka Boro, a celebrated Niger Delta nationalist and Nig ...

paddy Paddy may refer to: People *Paddy (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname *An ethnic slur for an Irishman Birds *Paddy (pigeon), a Second World War carrier pigeon * Snowy sheathbill or paddy, a bird species *Black-faced s ...

– sown in December–January and harvested in April–May

Deterioration of the beel

Natural and anthropogenic causes for the deterioration of the beel are many. The major reasons reported in the beel ecosystem are.: *Proliferation of human settlements, roads, and industries around the periphery (in the eastern and north-eastern sides) causing pollution problems *Waste water from different parts of the city and the adjoining areas *Construction of broad-gauge railway line on the periphery of the beel *Allotment of the government vacant land to private party by Government settlement department *Brick kilns and soil cutting *Hunting, trapping and killing of wild birds and mammals *Unplanned intensive fishing practices (both during day and night) *Boragaon garbage dumping site adjoining the Dipor Bil

Restoration activities

A comprehensive management plan has been set in motion and it is proposed to notify the whole beel area as a protected area. Weeds have been removed in an area of 500 ha and the fish catch is reported to be improving. The long term measures envisaged to preserve the beel environment are: *Encroachments and settlements around the beel periphery to be eliminated *Train stops on the boundary of the beel to be discontinued *To raise suitable plantations on either side of the railway line to reduce noise level *Eco-restoration of surrounding forest area *To preserve effectiveness of the beel as storm water detention basin for Guwahati city and creation of additional storage capacity in the naturally depressed areas within the greater metropolitan area *Guwahati city runoff, which includes sewage, to be treated before discharging into the beel *To discontinue land cutting,

Brick Kiln Brick Kiln is a settlement in the east of the island of Nevis in Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands ...

s and industrial development in the periphery of the beel *Government settlements to be discontinued and the beel to be preserved to its natural state *Encourage bird related

eco-tourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fun ...

and

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

education.

Bird sanctuary

Deepor Beel Bird Sanctuary covering an area of 414 ha within the larger spread of the beel to shelter several species of birds has been created by the Department of Forests, Assam, and shooting and bird-trapping are prohibited by law, but enforcement is reported to be inadequate. Over 120 species of birds have been listed in the sanctuary, including

kingfishers 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, ...

, fishing

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

s, adjutant storks and abundant varieties of ducks. A watch tower has been erected on the bank of the beel for bird watching and security purpose.

Public participation

While the management authority for the beel is the Forest Department of the Government of Assam, with the Fisheries Department as the functional Authority, several public and private institutions and universities are involved in creating the awareness of the Ecological importance of the beel and the need to restore it to its original status. Some important ones are: *The Ramsar Convention, which has recognised the Deepor Beel in its list of 1782 wetland sites, with 158 contracting parties to the convention of the world and holds seminars to create awareness of the beel's uniqueness. *Aaranyak, a non-governmental organization set up "to foster conservation of biodiversity in Northeast India through research, environmental education, capacity building and advocacy for legal and policy reform to usher a new era of ecological security" is actively involved in Community Based Conservation Projects, which includes among other projects the "Deepar Beel Community Conservation Project". The project was designed "to reduce the anthropogenic pressure on the wetland by providing for alternative and diversified means of livelihood to the people living along the fringe villages. The purpose of the project is to set up some community run 'Self Help Groups' (SHGs) to strengthen their livelihood options through diverse means and garn their support in the conservation of Deepar Beel as wetland ecosystem." *

North Dakota State University North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as t ...

, USA has a website created as a tool to facilitate better understanding of the concepts and practices in environmental management, and to complement the graduate course materials for the students, undertook a "Case Study of Deepor Beel Wetland Management" for the fall course of 2007. *The Animal Ecology Laboratory in the Department of Zoology,

Guwahati University Gauhati University, also known as GU, is a Collegiate university, collegiate public state university located in Guwahati, Assam, India. It was established on 26 January 1948 under the provisions of an Act enacted by the Assam Legislative Assem ...

has been involved in biological studies of the beel. *Parangam Sarma Basistha, an architect and urban planner from Guwahati, have been involving in research on Impact of urbanisation in the wetland and worked for conservation of the Deepor Beel through the development of land use of the catchment areas. *Chandan Kumar Duarah (Pratidin Group) and Mubina Akhtar, environmentalists have been studying and working for preservation of the wetland and published many reports.

Guwahati Water bodies (Preservation and Conservation) Bill, 2008

The Guwahati Waterbodies (Preservation and Conservation) Bill, 2008 has been passed with the objective of preserving the wetland, minimising the problem of waterlogging in the city and creating an eco-friendly atmosphere. With this Bill at its command, the Government of Assam is planning to re-acquire land in the periphery of Deepor Beel, to undertake development projects, including water sports at the beel, and for this purpose a budgetary allocation of about US $3 million (Rs.12 crores) has been approved.Rs 12cr for Deepor Beel-Waterbody bill passed in Assembly
/ref>

References

''Birding opportunities at Deepor Beel''
{{Ramsar sites in India Lakes of Assam Ramsar sites in India Tourist attractions in Guwahati Tourism in Assam Kamrup district 2002 establishments in Assam Protected areas established in 2002

Etymology

History

Access

Topography and geology

Hydrology

Flora

Avifauna

Aquatic fauna

Land fauna

Utility of the beel

Deterioration of the beel

Restoration activities

Bird sanctuary

Public participation

Guwahati Water bodies (Preservation and Conservation) Bill, 2008

See also

References