A Study on HAkAluki HAor in bAnglAdeSH - Pakistan Academy of ...

Proc. Pakistan Acad. Sci. 47(1):1-10.2010 

Haor based livelihood dependency of a Rural Community: 

A <strong>Study</strong> on Hakaluki Haor in Bangladesh 

Md. Parvez Rana 11 , Md. Shawkat Islam Sohel 1 , Sayma Akhter 1 and Md. Shafaet Alam 2 

1 

Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114, 

Bangladesh, 2 Department of Fisheries Management, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh 

Received December 2008, accepted December 2009 

Abstract: The study was carried out in Hakaluki haor situated in Moulovibazar and Sylhet districts to explore the socio-economic 

status of the people residing near haor areas and their dependency on its resources. This paper also sheds light on the present 

status of the Hakaluki haor, using pattern of resources by the local people and identification of some causes for the degradation of 

the resources of Hakaluki haor. The study shows that most of the inhabitants face problems because 37% of the households in our 

sample villages belong to extremely poor group (monthly income below Tk. 2,000 = 29 US$)(1US$ equals to 69 Tk). Their haor 

based livelihood activity is fishing (32%) followed by duck rearing (29%), cattle rearing (28%) and fuelwood collection (6%). 

The average annual income from fishing is about 45,000 TK (652 US$). But, the quantity of fish harvest in haor has decreased 

alarmingly due to illegal harvesting and unsustainable collection of fish. About 15% of households were totally dependent on the 

haor for their livelihood while the others were moderately (32%) or less dependent (53%). Indiscriminate harvesting of the haor 

vegetation i.e. swamp trees (hijol (Barringtonia aculangula), barun (Crataeva nurvala), karoch (Pongamia pinnata)) has caused 

elimination of vast area of plants. About 27% fuel was collected from the haor and selling price of fuelwood was TK 45 = 0.71 

US$ per Kg. From the sale of ducks and eggs the respondents earn an average of about 450 Tk (6.52 US$) per month. Majority 

(85%) of the respondents reported that Hakaluki haor was a vital source of livelihood, while 8% considered it as a source of 

aesthetic beauty. The haor is being degraded rapidly due to mismanagement and destructive activities. The Government should 

formulate appropriate policy and laws, implement these for the protection of this valuable resource, and adopt an integrated joint 

management plan involving the local people. 

Keywords: Livelihood, wetland, dependency, Hakaluki haor, Bangladesh 

Introduction 

Bangladesh is a developing country that lies 

in the northeastern part of South Asia between 

20 0 34 / and 26 0 38 / North latitude and 88 0 01 / and 

92 0 41 / East longitude [1]. The economy of the 

country is agrarian supporting per capita GDP 

of around 421 US$. Due to high population 

density (1061 person sq km -1 ) and sharply 

skewed distribution of lands (10% people hold 

40% land and 60% are landless) natural resources 

are overexploited [2]. Bangladesh, located in the 

tropical climate zone, is endowed with a rich and 

unique flora and fauna. Biogeographically, the 

country comprises part of the Oriental Region, 

nestled between the Indo-Himalayas and Indo- 

Chinese sub-regions of the Orient. In terms 

of zoogeography, Bangladesh is an ecotone 

(ecological border zone) between the Indian 

* Corresponding author, email: parvez_200207@yahoo.com 

and Malayan sub-regions of the Indo-Malayan 

zoogeographic realm [3]. 

Wetlands provide a wide range of economic, 

social and ecological benefits. From the perspective 

of a developing country, such as Bangladesh, 

wetlands are an important source of commercial 

fishing, agriculture, seasonal livestock grazing, 

wood collection and ecotourism [4]. Wetlands 

are highly productive ecosystems and important 

breeding grounds for fish [5]. They serve as a 

filtering system for polluted water, provide fertile 

soils where people can grow a wide range of 

staple foods and provide grazing areas and fuel. 

The dynamic interaction of terrestrial and aquatic 

systems makes these wetlands highly valuable 

environmentally [6]. Despite growing awareness 

of the need for protecting the environment, 

ecological condition are degraded rapidly during 

the last three decades [4]. As a consequence of 

population pressure, the wetlands of Bangladesh 

are under serious threat with most of the

<strong>Study</strong> on Hakaluki Haor, Bangladesh 2 

wetlands being encroached by the local people 

[7]. In recent years, as a direct consequence of 

agricultural expansion, many wetlands have 

shrunk or disappeared [6]. Such degradation has 

brought about loss of biodiversity, reduction in 

fish habitat and loss of wetland-based flora that 

are a valuable source of a wide range of nontimber 

forest products (NTFPs). 

Hakaluki haor (a back swamp or bowlshaped 

depression located between the natural 

levees of rivers and may comprise a number of 

beels) is the largest inland freshwater wetland 

ecosystem in Bangladesh with a land area of 

18,386 hectares [8]. It is a complex ecosystem, 

containing more than 238 interconnecting beels 

(a beel is wetland which generally retains water 

throughout the year) ([9]. The most important beels 

are Chatla, Pinlarkona, Dulla, Sakua, Barajalla, 

Pioula, Balijhuri, Lamba, Tekonia, Haorkhal, 

Tural, Baghalkuri and Chinaura. It supports 

a wide variety of agricultural and horticultural 

crops and fast growing introduced timber species 

[10]. A significant number of medicinal plants 

are also found in the haor area. Fisheries and 

agriculture are the two major livelihoods for local 

people living in and around the haor [8]. This 

haor ecosystem supports at least 73 species of 

wetland vegetation, which is nearly half of the 

national total of 158 species of vegetation [11]. 

It is a critical habitat and breeding ground for fish 

and other aquatic species and considered as one of 

the four major “mother fisheries” in Bangladesh. 

More than 100 fish species are available in the 

haor, one third of which are listed as endangered 

[11]. This haor is also the home for globally 

significant waterfowl, especially large number 

of’ migratory duck species that pass the winter 

season here. There was an estimation of wintering 

population of ducks in 1960s at between 40 000 

to 60 000 [12]. It carries a variety of mammals 

and reptiles including snakes, frogs, turtles, toads, 

tortoises, squirrel, and the gangetic dolphin in 

and around the haor. 

Hakaluki haor once had plenty of wildlife 

and aquatic resources and has been covered 

with swamp forest, which in the recent time 

has become a fast-degraded landscape facing 

increased pressure and threats [11]. The forest 

resources (swamp and reed land plants) in the haor 

area lack proper conservation and management 

techniques, hence these are declining gradually. 

About 200,000 people live around the haor; all of 

them, more or less, dependent on its resources for 

their livelihood [11]. As the haor floods annually, 

settlements are clustered along its slightly raised 

fringes. Owing to threat of rapid degradation 

of the resources and in recognition of the need 

to protect the unique ecology and biodiversity 

of the haor, Government of Bangladesh has 

declared Hakaluki haor in 1999 as an ECA under 

the provision of the Bangladesh Environment 

Conservation Act (BECA) [8]. Despite this, 

widespread use of such freshwater wetlands as 

Hakaluki haor, most of the studies on wetlands 

in the country have concentrated mainly on the 

Sundarban mangrove wetlands [13-23]. Very 

scant attention has been focused on Hakaluki 

haor (4). In particular its economic significance 

in terms of the dependency of local people has 

remained largely unexplored. The present work 

has attempted to study the interactions among 

the people, wetland resources and economic 

activities as well as to assess inter-linkages 

between economic and ecological function of 

the haor system that is directly linked with the 

livelihood of local people. 

Materials and Methods 

<strong>Study</strong> Site 

Hakaluki haor lies between latitude 24° 

35’ N to 24° 45’ N and longitude 92° 00’ E to 

92° 08’ E. It is administrated under five Upazilas

3 Md. Parvez Rana et al. 

(sub-district; administrative entity) (i.e., Kulaura, 

Borolekha, Fenchugong, Juri and Golapgong) of 

two districts (Sylhet and Moulvibazar) [8]. The 

study was conducted at Chatla beel and Jolla 

beel regions of Hakaluki haor situated under 

Jaifarnagor union (a rural administrative unit) of 

Kulaura upazila and Talimpur union of Borolekha 

Upazila, respectively (Fig. 1). Total area of Chatla 

beel is 302.9630 ha, and the adjacent villages are 

Sonapur, Velagaon, Bachirpur, Kandigaon, and 

Chalbon. The physical status of Chatla beel is 

moderately degraded [12]. On the other hand, 

the total area of Jolla beel is 181.3670 ha. Its 

adjacent villages are Sreerampur, Ranginagar, 

Mulajuri, Dasghori. The physical status of Jolla 

beel is moderately rich [12]. 

Methods 

The study was conducted in Borolekha 

and Kulaura uapazilas of Moulvibazar district. 

A multi-stage random sampling technique was 

applied for the study. From a total of 11 unions 

under the two upazilas, two unions (Jaifarnagar 

and Talimpur) were selected randomly. 

Two villages (Sonapur and Velagaon) from 

Jaifarnagar union and two villages (Sreerampur 

and Mulajuri) from Talimpur union were 

selected using the same procedure. From these 

four villages, 84 households with a sampling 

intensity of 12%, were selected randomly for 

the survey. A semi-structured questionnaire was 

used for the interview which includes various 

socio-economic parameters such as literacy, land 

holding, occupation, farm size, land ownership, 

knowledge sharing, organizational participation, 

involvement in farm activities, participation 

in decision making, access and rights on haor 

resources, livelihood patterns. Before preparing 

the final questionnaire, a preliminary one was 

developed in conformity with the objectives of 

the study. This draft schedule was pre-tested with 

a few selected farmers. Some parts of the draft 

questionnaire were improved, rearranged, and 

modified in the light of the practical experience 

gained from the pre-test. It was then finalized and 

questions were listed in logical sequence, so that 

the respondents could answer easily. The selected 

respondents were personally interviewed for 

collecting reliable data and other information. 

The respondents were free to express their views 

on each of the topics. New avenues of questioning 

were pursued as the interview developed. The 

interview schedule was designed to collect 

information in local units. However, these were 

converted into national/international standard 

units later. To analysis the data obtained from the 

field level, we used MS Excel. 

Results 

Community livelihoods of Hakaluki haor 

The total number of people of the studied 

households was 517 with an average family size 

of six. Forty nine percent of them were female. 

All other respondents were male with an average 

age of 43 years. Based on the average annual 

income information of the households, the 

households were categorized into three different 

income classes i.e., extremely poor (monthly 

income below Tk 2,000 = 29 US$); medium 

to poor (income is below Tk. 7,500 = 109 US$ 

but above Tk. 2,000 = 29 US$ /month) and rich 

(monthly income is Tk. 7,500 plus =109 US$ 

plus). It was found that 37% of the households 

fell in the extremely poor group, while 32% in 

medium and 31% in rich category (Fig. 2). 

The primary occupation in the study area 

was agriculture (38%), followed by fishing 

(22%), day laborer (15%), boatman (10%), 

small business (9%) and remittance from abroad 

(6%) (Fig. 3). On an average, the respondents


Figure 1: Location map of the study area.


Figure 2. Income categories of households in the study 

area. 

were reported to be involved in a variety of haorbased 

livelihoods: fishing and related activities 

(32%), duck rearing (29%), cattle rearing (28%), 

fuelwood collection (6%), sand extraction (3%), 

and reed collection (2%) (Fig. 4). The cycle 

of livelihood activities changed significantly 

with seasons in the haor regions. During the 

monsoon (March-August), most of the land goes 

under water and thus supports fishing as a major 

livelihood activity. However, due to overflowing 

of the water, lease holders lose control over 

fishing over a large area and local people are able 

to catch fish freely. In the dry season (September- 

February), livelihood activities comprise rice 

production, grazing grounds (herds of cattle 

and buffaloes), fuelwood collection, collection 

of reeds and grasses, and collection of aquatic 

and other plants. Local people are sometimes 

engaged in hunting and poaching of migratory 

birds. In the dry season, haor looks like a natural 

grassland with a horizon nearly 35 km wide, with 

pockets of beels serving as the resting place for 

migratory birds. This time, lease holders take full 

control of their fish harvests because water bodies 

are under their control. 

Source of fuelwood in haor area 

Regarding source of fuel for cooking, the 

data shows that timber residue and cow-dung 

were the two major sources of fuel for cooking 

purpose. Over a quarter of respondents stated that 

they collected these fuel sources from the haor. 

Statistics are given below in Fig. 5. 

Figure 3. Occupation of household head. 

Figure 4. Livelihood activities related to the haor. 

Figure 5. Fuel source in the locality. 

Dependency of households on Hakaluki haor 

The <strong>Study</strong> showed that the local people 

had traditionally been using the haor for various 

livelihood purposes for centuries [5]. During the 

study when specific question was asked regarding 

household dependency on the haor, 15% of them 

reported total dependence on Hakaluki haor for 

livelihood, while the others were moderately 

(32%) or less dependent (53%). Among them, the


Fishing related activities 

Fishing related activities (i.e. capturing fish, fish trading, 

fish drying and net weaving) is one of the major livelihood 

activities in the haor area. The average annual income from 

this sector is about 45,000 TK (652 US$). The quantity of fish 

in haor has decreased alarmingly due to illegal harvesting and 

unsustainable collection of fish. 

Collection of hijol (Barringtonia acutangulata) and other 

aquatic vegetation 

The local people reported that 10-15 years back there were 

abundance of aquatic vegetation in the Hakaluki haor area. 

Indiscriminate harvesting of the haor vegetation i.e. swamp trees 

[hijol (Barringtonia aculangula), barun (Crataeva nurvala), 

karoch (Pongamia pinnata) etc.] has caused elimination of vast 

area of plants. Once in the deep haor there was Hijol forest, 

now it is confined to handful of small patches only. Among 

the respondents 6% engaged in fuelwood collection (i. e gagra 

(Xanthium indicum) from haor areas. On the other hand about 

27% fuel was collected from the haor. They sell this in local 

market for TK 45 (0.71 US$)/Kg. 

Duck rearing 

Duck rearing is one of the major income generating opportunities 

in the area. About 29% of the respondent’s livelihood activity 

is duck rearing, which is completely depending on haor. From 

selling duck and eggs most of the respondents earn about 450 

Tk (6.52 US$)/ month. 

Livelihood at Hakaluki haor: some glimpses.


people in the extreme poor category were found 

to be entirely dependent on the haor. 

higher elevated land along the edges of the haor 

(Table 1). 

Resource collection status by local people in the 

Hakaluki haor 

Figure 6. Dependency on Hakaluki haor by households. 

Land use pattern in the Hakaluki haor 

Habitat categories of Hakaluki haor were 

beel, river or canals, fallow land, boro crops land 

and rabi crops land. The beels were found to be 

used for fishing, bird hunting, aquatic vegetation 

collection for food, fodder, fuel while river or 

canals for fishing, boating, and transportation. 

Fallow land was used for grazing, vegetation, 

grass and fuel collection, etc. Boro crop land was 

used for winter rice cultivation at the seasonal 

parts of beels and haor edges. Rabi crop land was 

used for oil seeds and pulses cultivation at the 

Table 2 shows an overview of resource 

collection on the basis of respondents’ view. 

Status of resources such as hijol (Barringtonia 

aculangula), nolkhagra (Phragmites karka), 

gagra, fish, grasses was based on 3 stages i.e. 10 

years ago, 5 years ago and present condition. The 

findings reveal that now 3-4 kg fish were available 

within 3-4 miles, while the same amount of fish 

was found within one mile ten years ago (Table 

2). 

Reasons for haor protection 

When the respondents were invited to 

express their perceptions about the reason for 

conservation of the haor, all of them gave their 

opinion. Majority (85%) of them reported that 

Hakaluki haor was a vital source of livelihoods, 

while only (8%) considered it as a source of 

aesthetic beauty (Table 3). 

Table 1: Habitat category and land use of the Hakaluki haor in winter and monsoon seasons. 

Habitat 

Category 

(Land cover) 

Area covered 

(Acre) % 

Land use 

Beel 12364.13 26.95 Fishing, bird hunting, aquatic vegetation collection for food, fodder and fuel 

River/canals 1532.56 3,34 Fishing, boating and transportation 

Kandi/ fallow land 7185.41 15.66 Grazing, vegetation, fallow, grass and fuel collection 

Boro crop 16151.42 35.21 Winter rice cultivation at the seasonal parts of beels and haor edges 

Rabi crop 8637.78 18.83 Oil seeds and pulses cultivation at the higher elevated land along the edges 

of the haor 

Total 45871.72 100 In monsoon, the whole haor is inundated and become a single sheet of water, 

fishing and boating is the major mode of transportation.


Table 2: Resources collection status by local people in and around the Hakaluki haor. 

Items 

Resources collection status by local people 

Status before 10 years ago Status before 5 years ago Present status 

Amount Distance Amount Distance Amount Distance 

Hijol (Barringtonia aculangula) 15-20 pcs 1-1.5 mile 10-15 pcs 2-3 mile 1-2 pcs 3-5 mile 

Nol (Phragmites karka) 50-60 pcs 1-1.5 mile 30-40 pcs 2-3 mile 20-30 pcs 3-5 mile 

Gagra 200-300 pcs 1 mile 200-300 pcs 1-2 mile 200-300 pcs 2-2.5 mile 

Fishes 3-4 kg 1 mile 3-4 kg 2-2.5 mile 3-4 kg 3-4 mile 

Grasses 4-5 kg 1 mile 4-5 kg 2-3 mile 4-5 kg 3-3.5 mile 

Table 3: Reasons for haor protection. 

————————————————————————— 

Category Label 

Percentage 

————————————————————————— 

Source of livelihoods 85 

Fuel wood source 51 

Increase in fish number 34 

Source of freshwater 24 

Source of foods 55 

Natural fertilizer provider through siltation 29 

Easy route of transportation 12 

Aesthetic beauty 8 

Recreation 12 

————————————————————————— 

Note: In the study area the respondents involved more than one reason 

for haor protection 

Discussion 

In Bangladesh, where inland water bodies 

constitute nearly 50% of the total land area [24], 

wetlands are critical for economic development 

and environmental quality [25-27]. Wetlands are 

one of the most productive and resourceful areas, 

which provide food, non-food aquatic resources 

and retain the ecological balance for the local 

residents as well as for the nation [25,26]. The major 

role of wetlands is nutrient retention/removal, 

support for food chains, fisheries production, 

habitat for wildlife, recreation, natural heritage 

values, biomass production, water transport, 

biodiversity and micro-climate stabilization [27]. 

The wetland environment unites the inhabitants 

into a society, which has a definite shape, culture 

and livelihood pattern. Due to the availability of 

wide variety of harvestable products, the people 

in and around the wetlands are traditionally selfreliant 

and have subsistence-oriented economy 

and livelihoods. Bangladesh has traditionally 

been rich in fish stocks. The inland fisheries 

system is estimated to contribute almost 73% of 

total production and supplies 80% of the country’s 

animal protein requirements [27]. Khan and Islam 

[28] found that an annual economic output value 

estimated for Hail haor, another large wetland of 

Moulvibazar district, is US$ 8 Million, the net 

present value of which over 15 years is US$ 83 

million. CWBMP Project Document [7] found 

that average income of the people living around 

the Hakaluki haor from capture fisheries is over 

Tk 16,000 per household, and that nearly half of 

the households are engaged in this profession. 

Moreover, pisciculture is also a growing industry 

in the area, providing an average income of Tk 

22547.23 for participating households. IUCN 

[29] revealed, 23.54 % people’s monthly income 

in Hakaluki haor area is more than Tk 7000.00. 

Ahmed et al. [4] also reported the same livelihood 

activities for local people living in and around the 

Hakaluki haor, while other livelihood supports 

are provided by cattle grazing, NTFPs collection, 

duck rearing, and sand mining from there. 

Despite all these supports to human livelihood, 

many parts of the world have experienced loss or 

degradation of wetlands on a huge scale because 

of agricultural use, urbanization, excessive 

exploitation by local population [30]. Hakaluki 

haor is also facing similar kind of threats mainly 

due to over exploitation. Although major swamp 

species and aquatic plants of Hakaluki haor have 

unique regeneration strategies, the immense


anthropogenic disturbance and stress obstruct the 

trajectory of natural restoration [8]. Conversion of 

swamp forest habitat into agricultural land is the 

major and the worst anthropogenic disturbance, 

which results in completes depletion of swamp 

habitat and destruction of biological legacy for 

further regeneration. Grazing and trampling by 

the cattle is also another severe threat to the 

newly regenerated swamp species. Indiscriminate 

fuelwood collection by the dwellers at sapling 

stage of swamp species leaves no room for their 

further development into mature stage. 

Conclusion 

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 benefits in terms of fish production, 

rice production, cattle and buffalo rearing, duck 

rearing, collection of reeds and grasses, collection 

of aquatic and other plants. The haor system also 

protects the lower floodplains from flash floods 

occurring in the months of April-May, recharges 

the water tables, maintains the supply of fish 

in other lower riparian water bodies, provides 

habitat for migratory and local waterfowl [9]. The 

fact that Hakaluki haor has been designated as 

an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) signifies its 

importance as a reservoir of disappearing natural 

resources [4]. This study underscores the reality 

that haor also constitutes an important source 

of natural capital, which yields high economic 

and livelihood values to surrounding populations 

and the country as a whole. In Bangladesh, the 

population is increasing day by day at higher 

rates but the natural resources are not increasing 

at the same time [31]. Poverty greatly affects 

the environment and poverty is at a critical 

stage on the study area, which will influence the 

local people for continuous destruction of haor 

resources. Prevention of further decline of the 

wetland will require adoption of multiple-use land 

management based on principles of sustainable 

development. An integrated management plan 

is needed that includes utilization of wood and 

non-wood products, agriculture, fisheries and 

conservation of biodiversity. A core area and a 

buffer zone would need to be demarcated when 

allocating land use in wetland areas. Moreover, 

public awareness has to be developed for wetland 

resource management. So, effective policies 

are needed for sustainable management of the 

remaining wetlands. 

Acknowledgements 

The authors wish to acknowledge the 

contribution of Mohammad Shaheed Hossain 

Chowdhury, Shinshu University, Japan, in 

preparing the manuscript as well as for the critical 

suggestions of the anonymous referees for help in 

improving the paper. 

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