Chalan Beel, a wetland of the north

One of the largest inland wetlands in Bangladesh, Chalan Beel swells in the monsoon and turns to fields in the dry season.

Chalan Beel lies across Natore, Pabna and Sirajganj districts, where a network of rivers and channels drains into a broad depression. In the rainy season it becomes a vast sheet of water; as the floods recede, much of it is planted with rice and other crops. The beel has long supported fishing, and its fish and birds were once famous across Bengal. Siltation, roads and conversion to farmland have shrunk the open water, making its future a common topic in discussions about wetland protection.