The Hakaluki Haor
1. Read the passage and answer the questions number A and B.
Hakaluki: A rich hub of biodiversity
and livelihood
Bangladesh is blessed(আশীর্বাদ) with huge inland(অন্তর্দেশীয়)open
water resources. It has numerous(অনেক) river canals, beels, lakes, and vast(সুবিশাল )areas of floodplains(প্লাবনà¦ূমি).
Hakaluki haor is one of the major wetlands(জলাà¦ূমি) of Bangladesh.
With a land area of 18,386 hectares, it supports(সমর্থন দেয়া )a rich biodiversity(জীব বৈচিত্র্য)and provides direct and indirect livelihood(জীবিকা )benefits to nearly 190,000
people. This haor was declared(ঘোষিত)an Ecologically(পরিবেশগত
) Critical(সংকটপূর্ণ)Area in April 1999 by the
government of Bangladesh.
Hakaluki is a complex ecosystem(বাস্তু-সংস্থান),
containing(ধারণকারী )more than 238 interconnecting beels
and jalmahals. The most important beels are Chatla, Pinlarkona,
Dulla, Sakua, Barajalla, Balijhuri, Lamba, Tekonia, Haorkhal, Tural, Baghalkuri
and Chinaura.
Hakaluki Haor is bounded(বেষ্টিত)by
the Kushiara river as well as a part of the Sonai-Bardal river to the north, by
the Fenchuganj-Kulaura railway to the west and to the south, and by the
Kulaura-Beanibazar road to the east. The haor falls under two administrative(প্রশাসনিক )districts, Maulvibazar and
Sylhet. Some 190,000 people live in the area surrounding the haor.
Hakaluki Haor is an important source of fisheries(মৎস্য)resources for Bangladesh.
Kalibaus, Boal, Rui, Ghagot, Pabda and Chapila are the main fish species found
here. From the Kushiara there are frequent(ঘন, প্র্রায় ) upstream ( জোড়ার, উজান)movements
of fish towards the beels and tributaries(উপনদী) of Hakaluki. The beels in
Hakaluki haor provide winter shelter(আশ্রয় )for the mother fisheries. In
early monsoon(মৌসুমি বায়ু )these mother fisheries produce
millions of fries(রেণু)
for the entire(সমগ্র ) downstream(à¦াটা )fishing communities.
Floodplains are also an important source of fisheries resources within the
area. However, many of the beels have lost their capacity(সক্ষমতা )to provide
shelter for mother fisheries because of sand deposits(জমা)f rom upstream rivers
and canals, use of complete dewatering(
পানি
নিস্কাষন)
technique for fishing and lack(অà¦াব) of aquatic(জলজ
) plants to provide feed and shelter for parent fish.
The haor is a very important resting place for migratory
waterfowls(জলকুক্কুট, জলজ পাখি ) flying in from the north. The
most interesting species(প্রজাতি )is the Bareheaded Goose, which is
now hardly seen in freshwater wetlands. Many other important species of
waterfowls make the Haor their temporary(অস্থায়ী ) home. Unfortunately, illegal poaching(চোরাশিকার ) has been a threat to the
waterfowl population in this vast wetland.
Hakaluki haor is known as a good grazing(গোচারণ )land in winter. People from
villages around the Haor and also from distant(দূরবর্তী )areas
send their herds for grazing. During this time, herders(রাখালরা) make temporary shelters near the beels and graze(পশু চরান করা ) their animals for a
period of 4-5 months. The Haor had very dense(ঘন )swamp(জলা à¦ূমি)forests
in the past, but deforestation and a lack of conservation(সংরক্ষণ
)practices have virtually(কৃত্রিমà¦াবে)destroyed
this unique forest in the last two decades.
Two small patches(টুকরো)
of swamp forests still exist(বিদ্যমান
থাকা)in
the area of which one is in Chatla beel and the other near the village of
Kalikrishnapur. With the exception(ব্যতিক্রম)
of these two swamp forest patches,
the vegetation(গাছপালা)
surrounding Hakaluki haor is unique. It includes both swamp forest as well as a mixed evergreen rain forest. Thatching(ছিউনি)
material is the most useful natural wetland product of the area.
The haor system provides a wide range of economic
and non-economic benefits to the local people as well as to the people of
Bangladesh.
These include fish production, rice production, cattle(গবাদি
পষু)and
buffalo(ষাড়)
rearing(পালন),
duck rearing, collection of reeds and grasses, and collection of aquatic and
other plants. The haor system also protects the lower floodplains from flash floods(আকষ্মিক বন্যা)
occurring in the months of April-May, maintains(বজায়
রাখা)
the supply(সরবরাহ)
of fish in other lower water bodies and provides habitat for migratory and
local waterfowls.
The unique haor system contributes(অবদান রাখা)to the beauty of the landscape(à¦ূদৃশ্য)both during the monsoon and the dry season. In monsoon, its unique scenic(দৃশ্যময়) beauty makes it a huge natural bowl(বাটি) of water and in the dry season it becomes vast green grassland with pockets of beels serving as resting(বিশ্রামের)places for migratory birds. This unique(ব্যতিক্রম )natural system can be a major attraction for tourists.
A. Choose the correct answer from the
alternatives.
a.
Why do the migratory waterfowls use the haor?
i) For lying eggs ii) For
swimming iii) For living iv) For resting place.
b.
What is the most interesting species?
i) Mother fisheries ii) Fries
iii) Bareheaded goose iv) Others.
c.
The haor is very important for migratory waterfowls flying in from the ______
i) East ii) North iii) South iv) West
d.
How many beels and jalmahals Hakaluki has?
i) 228 ii) 236 iii) 238 iv) 240
e.
Illegal poaching has become a treat to ___________
i) Migratory birds ii)
Seasonal birds iii) Fisheries
iv) waterfowl population.
f.
What does ‘bounded’ mean?
i) Fixed ii) ignored iii) encircled iv) emancipated
g.
What does the word ‘ecosystem’ in the passage mean?
i) complex web ii)
Ecological community iii) atmosphere iv) ecological balance
h)
‘Poaching’ means____________
i) selling ii) buying iii) rearing iv) hunting
i.
What is meant by ‘aquatic?
i) valuable ii) existing in water iii) rare iv) tall
j.
The word ‘swamp’ means________
i)
beautiful ii) deep iii) dense iv) wetland with wild plants
k.
When does the haor become a grazing land?
i) in
the winter ii)
in the summer iii) in the dry season iv) during the rainy season
l.
What does the word ‘waterfowls’ mean?
i) Waterflowers ii) water plants iii) birds living in water iv) animals living in the water
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