Why in the news?
- Villagers in the vicinity of Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary have written to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change seeking a realignment of a broad-gauge railway line, passing through the northern side of the wetland, to the southern, in compliance with a National Green Tribunal’s (NGT’s) order.
What is Deepor Beel?
- Deepor Beel is a perennial freshwater lake in the state of Assam. Beel means wetland or large aquatic body in Assamese.
- This is located about 10 km southwest of Guwahati city.
- Deepor Beel is an open lake basin connected with a set of inflow and out flow channels.
- This is the only Ramsar site in Assam.
- It is considered as one of the staging sites for migratory birds in India
- The Rani Reserve forest and Garbhanga hills to the south of the lake, are the habitat of the Asiatic elephants.
What are the threats?
- According to a recent report, Assam’s Deepor Beel has shrunk around 35 per cent in size since 1991. It is now spread across 4,014 hectares.
- Heavy encroachment for construction and other development projects as well as proximity to a waste dumping yard have harmed the ecological health of this important waterbody.
- The deterioration of the lake harmed the livelihoods of several hundred fishers who have depended on it for generations. The government has banned fishing in the core area of the lake.
(Source: TOI, DTE, Niti Aayog)
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