Chandubi Beel
Chandubi Beel is one of those natural, perennial landscapes that emerged as a post-disaster result of tectonic forest submergence during the Assam earthquake of 1897. It reflects Assam’s cultural ecotone and Meghalaya’s two neighbours. Chandubi Lake, situated under Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council, Kamrup District, Assam, is located on NH 37, at the foot of the Garo Hills. 60 Km from Guwahati. This moisture enters the north reserved Borduar forest, and the south reserved Mayong Hill forest. Chandubi Wetland is the southern affluence of the Kulsi River, the Brahmaputra River.
Assam Remote Sensing Application Center / ARSAC revealed that in 1911/12, the wetland spread over 448.08 hectares, which recorded a drastic reduction of 186.52 hectares in water distributed from the swamp in 2007. This decline persists until today. The loss of wetlands and their habitats are the most important global challenges as such ecosystems have proven that they are a natural foundation for ‘disaster risk reduction.’ Chandubi’s wetland is a remote region from urban and industrial settlements, contributing to the least biotic disturbance between humans and humans and ‘not the war zone.’ Pallas’ Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) and Fish-Eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus) are the endangered species on the lake, also attracting large numbers of waterfowl. In the surrounding rainforests, several conservation species have been found, White-cheeked Hill-Partridge, Mountain Bamboo-Partridge (Bambusicola fytchii), Blyth’s Kingfisher (Alcedo Hercules), Blue-thered Barbet (Megalaima asiantica), White-thered Bulbul (Criniger flaveolus), Grey Peacock Pheasant. Once Chandubi Lake was the rich habitat of extinct fish fauna.
The extinction of fish species poses a serious threat to wetland ecological stability, and the continued growth of human settlements poses a serious threat to life and livelihoods. Research has shown that Chandubi Lake has lost nearly 90% of its fish fauna, and 20% of the precious ornamental fish species have already disappeared.
This tectonic wetland, apart from a critically endangered Nandhani and Phutkiputhi niche, is a favourite Chital habitat. The Kulsi River is one of Gangetic Dolphin Ecosystems, well associated with the Chandubi River and nearby waterways. Chandubi Wetland offers a good environment for the species of dolphins and fish migrating from 2,5 km to the Kulsi River. Experts believe Lake Chandubi should contain around 70 fish species. Chandubi Wetland is a productive environmental asset, providing flood mitigation for ‘Ecosystem-based disaster risk mitigation.’ This wetland provides hydrological cycle continuity. In Rajapara’s nearby village and other rural villages near the wetland, this lake gives life and livelihood. Locals are very unhappy with wetland habitat management and biodiversity as a significant economic and biodiversity environment. The villagers say the logger union was involved, and the forest resources were under extreme pressure. Illegal logging in protected forest habitat raises serious concerns about the role of forest governance and how it prevents logging, transportation and illegal logging. Long-term deforestation has led to a decrease in biodiversity, impacting the food chain system. Locals say several cloud leopards and Bengal tigers once existed.
Their unstable “food mass.” For wild pigs, swamp deer, Barking Deer, Himalayan Black Bear, Hoolock Gibbon and Porčupine, Chandubi wetland has not given a cheap setting and declared extinction. Gangetic Crocodiles (Gravialis gangeticus), welcomed by local people until 1960, but now the wetland ecosystem declines. Chandubi’s wetlands have no urban dumping or corporate-invasion problem yet. Protected wooded dwellings surround Borduar-Myong’s tectonic lake. Chandubi is India’s most beautiful wetland. This picturesque destination attracts many tourists. In this tectonic wetland, the best time is winter (April-November). While Chandubi has not yet become a full-fledged eco-tourism destination, one can either travel from Guwahati early in the morning to hire a private cabin or arrive early with public transport to return at night. Tourists should bring enough food. There’s a well-equipped Government Guest House if you can stay for a day or two, but you’d have to bring food, emergency light, battery power bank and other necessary accessories as there may be no electricity or canteen.
You can hire a boat to go fishing or watch this natural tectonic system’s picturesque beauty around the lake and forest cover. While eco-tourism also jeopardises the quality of such a valuable environment, it is important to have time to enable people, especially in a wetland, to interact with the natural ecosystem. Universities, schools, NGOs etc. should find wetlands for research that analyses the importance of such a positive ecosystem for urban and rural welfare. In assessing “Chandubi Wetlands Ecosystems and Biodiversity” economies, we note that cultural and ecological externalities work tremendously to explore new livelihood dynamics for local people and an important economic source for the state without disturbing the ordinary Wetland discourse. This tectonic wetland was sacred for Rabha’s dominant agglomerations. Every year, the state administration with local people organises the famous Chandubi Festival in the first week. This festival deals with the marginal culture of different tribes living in the Border-Mayong forest range in Garo Hills adjacent to Meghalaya and Assam. The great native tourists visit the north-eastern states, India, and the world. We saw many foreign tourists watching the festival. The festival focuses on a variety of food, fabrics, traditional war tactics, dance, arts and crafts, traditional herbal remedies, old fishing and hunting techniques, boating, farming and harvesting various tribes, etc. Simplifying the TEEB evaluation is the first element of this exercise. We have limited basic information, and Chandubi Beel faces severe anthropic strain.
People are unaware of their rich productivity and a wide variety of ecosystem resources and benefits. We aim to achieve the best possible level to put a wider group association and let them know about Chandubi Beel’s economic situation.