Ratargul Swamp Forest

Ratargul Swamp Forest is a freshwater swamp forest located in Gowainghat, Sylhet, Bangladesh. It is the only swamp forest located in Bangladesh and one of the few freshwater swamp forest in the world. The forest is naturally conserved under the Department of Forestry, Govt. of Bangladesh.

The evergreen forest[1] is situated by the river Goain and linked with the cannel Chengir Khal. Most of the trees growing here are the Millettia pinnata (করচ গাছ "Koroch tree). The forest goes under 20–30 feet water in the rainy season. Rest of the year the water level is about 10 feet deep.[2][3][4]

Location

Ratargul is about 26 kilometers from Sylhet. There is a 30 thousand 3 hundred and 25 acres wetland in Sylhet range-2 under the forest department and in that wetland Ratargul swamp forest is about 5 hundred and 4 acres.[5] It is located in Gowainghat. After reaching Gowainghat, tourists reserve local engine boat namely "traller" to reach forest.[6] There are two haors namely shimul bil haor and neoa bil haor in the south part of the forest.[7]

Climate

Tropical air from the north-west of Sylhet causes heavy rainfall. According to Sylhet Weather Centre, average rainfall is 4162 millimetre per year. Highest rainfall occurs in July which is 1250 millimetre. On the other hand, December is the driest season with 74% relative density which jumps up to more than 90% in July–August. The forest is linked with Gowain river through a lake namely chengir khal. In the rainy season, too much water from India enter into the lake through Gowain river and the forest become flooded. This situation prevails from May to early October and the temperature remains 32 degree Celsius which drops to 12 degree Celsius in January. In the rainy season, trees remain 10 ft (somewhere even 15–20 ft) under water but the forest become dry in winter season.[8][9]

Tourists attraction

See also

References

  1. ↑ Flora in reed / haour lands of Bangladesh: in the blog of November,2011
  2. ↑ Ratargul Swamp forest – Bangladesh
  3. ↑ http://www.daily-sun.com/details_yes_13-05-2012_Ratargul_142_1_2_1_2.html
  4. ↑ Ratargul swamp forest | World Tourism Organization UNWTO
  5. ↑ Amazon of Bangladesh
  6. ↑ http://nijhoom.com/ratargul-swamp-forest-faq/
  7. ↑ Swamp Forest Ratargul, Istiak Hasan; spotlight, Daily Kaler Kantho; Publish date: 28 August 2011. Access date: 13 October 2015.
  8. ↑ Chowdhury, Junayed K. (2004). Biodiversity of Ratargul Swamp Forest, Sylhet. IUCN The World Conservation Union. OCLC 255416492.
  9. ↑ Ratargul Swamp Forest climate

Coordinates: 25°01′03″N 91°55′54″E / 25.0176°N 91.9317°E / 25.0176; 91.9317

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