Maguri Motapung Beel Explained

Maguri Motapung Beel
Coordinates:	27.5767°N 95.3953°W
Area:	9.6km2
Pushpin Map:	India Assam#India

Maguri Motapung Beel (also known as Maguri Motapung Bill, Maguri Bill and Maguri Beel) is a wetland and lake located near Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Motapung Village of Tinsukia district in Assam. Maguri Motapung Beel serves as a natural home to wildlife and provide a source of livelihood to the local communities. ^{[1] [2]}

Etymology

Maguri is the local term for walking catfish and Motapung is the name of the nearby village. Beel or Bill means lake in Assamese language. ^[1]

Geography

Maguri Motapung Beel is approx. 9 km away from Tinsukia town and 50 km from Dibrugarh Airport. This lake is 3.8 km away from Guijan Ferry Ghat which is the gateway of the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. Maguri Motapung Beel is located in the south bank of the Dibru River and it connects Dibru River through a small channel and finally meets Brahmaputra River. ^{[3] [4]}

Avifauna

Maguri Motapung Beel is a natural habitat to many varieties of birds. The lake is an important habitat for over 110 resident and migratory bird species, including eight listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List, such as the Swamp grass babbler, the ferruginous duck, the white-winged wood duck and the falcated duck. ^[1]

A rare Mandarin duck was spotted in 2021 in the wetland Maguri Motapung Beel for the first time in 118 years.^[5]

See also

List of lakes of Assam

Notes and References

1. Web site: Near the Baghjan Blowout, Assam's Critical Wetland Habitat Is Burning. The Wire (India). en. 7 November 2020.
2. Web site: Maguri Motapung: an asset lost to flames. Wetlands International. en. 7 November 2020.
3. Web site: Maguri Beel. Tezpur University website. en. 7 November 2020.
4. Web site: Avians attract tourists to beel. The Telegraph. en. 7 November 2020.
5. Web site: Explained: Why a rare duck has created a flutter in Upper Assam. The Indian Express. en. 16 February 2021.