A slice of heaven

Pink and more pink, as far as the eye can see! When Barisal district's water lilies bloom, the naturally occurring spectacle could not be finer. While water lilies are to be found throughout Bangladesh and indeed much of the world, the annual display at the wetland known as Lal Shapla Beel, at Baghda in Agailjhara upazila and Satla in Uzirpur upazila, can only impress, as its many thousands of flowers light the landscape.

It goes without saying that the beel in season is a tourist magnet. “I brought my family here,” says one visitor, Marif Bappy from Dhaka. “The scenery is really charming!”

“We visited the area a week ago,” says motorcycle company executive Md Nasiruddin.

“I'd heard how beautiful the beel is, so of course I wanted to see it. I only wish there was a place to stay nearby.”

According to locals, between five and ten tourist groups arrive to witness the floral spectacle each day, with double that number at weekends. “This year at least five hundred tourists have visited the beel so far,” says Agailjhara shopkeeper Dinu Biswas.

To make the most of the beel's tourist potential however, some tourist facilities might help. “We hope to set up a rest house and restaurant soon, along with a boat service to cater to tourists,” says Barisal's deputy commissioner Md Habibur Rahaman.

For neighbouring villages meanwhile, the beel is not only a source of delight but an important source of income. Communities rely on harvesting and selling water lilies for six months of every year.

“In the beel area we can only grow one rice crop per year,” explains Kailas Halder from Baghda village. “The rest of the year we rely on water lilies for daily income; and in the autumn season when the plants burst into flower and dramatically change the whole landscape, the beel is popular with tourists too.”

Native fish species and carp as well as types of grass around the beel also contribute to local incomes, adds another villager, Bipul Halder.

“Water lilies are a popular vegetable in the locality,” says Agailjhara's agriculture officer Nasiruddin. “They have some medicinal properties too, and can be useful in treating diseases including dysentery, calcium deficiency, skin conditions, urinary and liver infections, as well as diabetes.”

Water lilies serve as a sought-after ingredient for curries; while hildren in particular often enjoy eating the stem and fruit even while it is raw.