Lesson 1/34 min
Beels
What is a beel
- Beel: a wetland or low depression in a floodplain area (Banglapedia's definition)
- Jheel: usually a horseshoe-shaped lake; an abandoned river channel
- Rivers, beels and haors are the main sources of freshwater fish
Some beels of Bangladesh
| Beel | Location | Special fact |
|---|---|---|
| Chalan Beel | Pabna, Natore and Sirajganj | Largest beel; main source of freshwater fish; the Atrai river flows through it |
| Beel Dakatia | Dumuria, Khulna | Called the ‘river flowing west’ in exam questions |
| Bhabadah Beel | Jashore | The sorrow of Jashore |
| Tamabil | Jaintapur, Sylhet | Lies on the border; known for coal imports from India (Khandokar) |
| Arial Beel | Srinagar, Munshiganj | Between the Padma and Dhaleshwari; the largest and oldest beel of the central region; known for giant sweet pumpkins |
| Baikka Beel | Sreemangal, Moulvibazar | Part of Hail Haor; the country's first fish sanctuary |
| Boga Beel (Boga Kain) | Bandarban | — |
| Kola Beel | Khulna | — |
Watch out: The area of Arial Beel is not given here because it could not be verified. Chalan Beel is also called a beel of the Rajshahi region in an exam answer; for district questions remember Pabna-Natore-Sirajganj.
Check yourself
Which beel is called ‘the sorrow of Jashore’?
At a glance
- 1
The largest beel is Chalan Beel (Pabna, Natore, Sirajganj); the Atrai flows through it.
- 2
Bhabadah Beel is in Jashore; Beel Dakatia is in Dumuria, Khulna.
- 3
Arial Beel is in Srinagar, Munshiganj, between the Padma and Dhaleshwari.
- 4
Baikka Beel (Sreemangal, Moulvibazar) is the country's first fish sanctuary.
- 5
Tamabil is in Jaintapur, Sylhet, on the border.