Baikka Wet Land, locally known as “Baikka Beel”, is located near Srimongol town, a sub-district of Moulvi Bazar district, known as the Tea Capital of Bangladesh under the Sylhet division. This wetland area is a sanctuary to protect and restore aquatic biodiversity (especially fish and birds) in the Hail Haor Basin area.
Another reason is that the visitor facilities enhance the enjoyment of the site and understanding of nature, the importance of wetlands and the need for their conservation.
The sanctuary and its facilities are a model that can encourage the replication of similar sanctuaries elsewhere in the country. Baikka Beel is a 100 hectors wetland sanctuary located in the Hail Haor basin, a large wetland seasonally in monsoon extending from 3,000-12,000 hectares in the North-Eastern part of Bangladesh.
How to find it?
At the Northern end, 14 km away from Srimongol town. Middle of Dhaka-Moulvi Bazar called Vairab Ganj highway near a small village – the north-Eastern part of Bangladesh.
What to see?
Baikka Beel comprises open water with emergent vegetation (mostly Lotus, Water Hyacinth and Lily) and a fringe of native swamp forest planted 5-8 years ago.
Originally it was protected to conserve and restore fish, and it supports around 90 highly endangered species of local fish, but populations of wintering waterbirds rapidly increased.
So far, 141 bird species have been recorded in the sanctuary. Up to 9 Pallas’s Fish Eagles and Large Flocks of Ducks, including up to 4,500 Fulvous Whistling-Duck, occur in winter.
Greater Spotted Eagle is regular and has good numbers. A diversity of Shorebirds, Marshland Warblers and other birds occur, including the native ones like various types of Egrets, Herons, Moorhen, Bee Eaters, owls etc. Mammals are few but include Fishing Cat.
Things to do?
Anyone can enter the observation tower in Baikka Beel after paying entrance fees. This tower is facilitated with a telescope & binoculars. The area is excellent for migratory birds watching and getting a sense of wildlife. If you wish, you can hire a boat and have a ride on the new water body for a closer look at the different types of birds.
What about the facilities?
A visitor tower with several permanent interpretive displays was opened in early 2007. This is the only such kind of facility in the country now and the only substantial community-managed wetland sanctuary. It is planned to construct a visitor centre and other facilities in 2010 with funds left over from the earlier MACH project, but somehow, it’s not done yet. As a result, visitor numbers have not been recorded as reliably as ideal, but roughly more than thousands per year and include student groups, researchers and a wide range of foreign visitors, especially Bird Watchers.
Travel Tips:
The best time to watch birds is early in the morning in winter (November – January) for two hours starting from sunrise and in the afternoon for two hours before sunset. So start your day early if you plan to watch birds in the afternoon.
It will allow you to reach the destination at about 3:00 PM. You’ll get plenty of time to watch and take photos of birds. You should not forget to bring your telelens and camera if you are into wildlife or bird photography. A boat can be hired to get close to the flock of birds.
There are no such good eating facilities in the area. But there are some roadside cafes (tea stalls). It is recommended that a traveller carry food with them.
