Tanguar Haor in Sunamganj, Bangladesh’s second Ramsar site and an Ecologically Critical Area, lies beneath the Meghalaya hills. Its flooded hijal and koroch forests, clear waters and chorus of migratory birds have long made the wetland a natural treasure. But beneath that serene surface, its centuries-old ecosystem is unravelling.
Unregulated tourism, plastic waste, loud music, the haphazard spread of houseboats and a near-total lack of waste management have together pushed Tanguar Haor towards an environmental crisis.
According to the latest IUCN Bangladesh Red List and field research by environmental scientists, at least 54 native fish species and 12 bird species in the haor are now critically endangered or threatened at national or global levels.
Of the roughly 141 fish species recorded in Tanguar Haor, the IUCN has classified at least eight as critically endangered and a further 20 as endangered.
Once-abundant species including mahashol, baghair, chital, pabda, rita, gharua, aor and wild pangas are now on the brink of extinction. Breeding has also declined sharply among the haor’s native fish including wild rohu, kalbaush, foli, gilti bacha and rani.
Those familiar with the fishery regard the decline as a warning of wider pressure on the country’s fish stocks.
IUCN surveys also point to habitat loss as a factor driving migratory and resident bird species towards endangerment. Tanguar Haor, which once resounded to the calls of hundreds of thousands of winter migrants, has seen its numbers fall by almost 77 percent in recent years, according to counts by ornithologists.
Of the 208 bird species recorded in the haor, 12 face severe global threats. The critically endangered species include the exceptionally rare Baer’s pochard and Bengal vulture.
A further 10 endangered or vulnerable species including the resident Pallas’s fish eagle, ferruginous duck, common pochard and greater spotted eagle are abandoning the haor as food and safe roosting grounds become scarce.
Locals say fish they once saw in abundance have all but disappeared and that numerous fish and bird species are heading towards local extinction.
They also complain about loudspeakers blaring music disrupting children trying to study as well as the sick and elderly, while adding to the pressure on the environment.
More than 200 houseboats now move freely across the haor, many running generators and playing music at high volume while dumping polythene and other harmful waste into the water, according to locals. These engine-driven trawlers, however, are formally banned in the wetland after it was designated a biodiversity-rich site.
Residents alleged that weak monitoring had left Tanguar Haor on the brink of destruction.
“Floating on the water is truly a different feeling,” said Emdad Hossain, a student at Jagannath University. “But seeing plastic bottles and crisp packets floating alongside was deeply disheartening. Many people were playing loud music, which simply doesn’t belong in such a quiet natural setting.”
Rashed Adnan, a student at Shahjalal University, said he had travelled to the haor with friends. “What we saw made us feel that saving the life of the haor is more urgent than enjoying its beauty. We need to think now: tourism, or the haor, which matters more?”
Shunu Mia, who lives on the edge of the haor, expressed similar concern.
“A few years ago, stepping into the water would reveal all kinds of native fish. In winter, we used to wake to the calls of thousands of birds. Now, because of the deafening engine noise and harmful waste, the fish are no longer there as they were. The birds are also turning away after losing their safe refuge,” he said.
Salehin Chowdhury Shubho, executive director of the Upliftment Society, blamed the rapid deterioration on weak administrative oversight and poor management of the houseboats.
He noted that land, water and air pollution were all taking place at Tanguar Haor. “Loudspeakers are played at extreme volume. It has been turned into a festival site with dancing and singing, which is entirely contrary to the spirit of an ECA and a Ramsar site.”
Humayun Kabir Liton, president of the Tour Operators Association, acknowledged the degradation after a recent visit.
On many houseboats, he said, generators ran at deafening volume and raw fuel leaked into the water. He said that the ban on trawlers inside the sanctuary was routinely ignored.
Tahirpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Mehedi Hasan Manik said work was underway to implement policies aimed at protecting the haor’s environment and ecotourism.
“Steps are being taken to stop the dumping of plastic waste, ensure that houseboats manage their own waste and conduct regular mobile court drives to curb noise pollution,” the UNO said.