HAOR

The Haors of sylhet are vast stretches of land that are submerged under water during the rainy season. During the dry season these stretches remain mostly dry. Occassionally, the haors may not become completely dry but have water in small pond-shaped structures while the dry areas may be used for cultivating other crops. Each year the monsoon fills these depressions with water forming an immense inland fresh-water seaand the Haors villages, which are built on natural levees or artificial earth-mouns, become tiny dots in a world of water. For six months, boat is the sole link between the villagers and the outside world.

The word haor is a corrupt form of the Sanskrit word "Sagar". Haors are a big source of freshwater fish. haors may stretch upto 15 to 30 kilometers from one end to the other although the haors may be interconnected through tributaries. The villages in haors are, usually, perched in highlands and they do not get submerged.

The most prominent haors in Sylhet are Saneer haor, Hail haor, Hakaluki haor, Dekar haor, Maker haor, Chayer haor, tanguar haor, and Kawadighi haor.

Haors also serve as sanctuaries for both permanent and migratory birds. With the recession of floodwater, a large variety of small fishes, oysters, water snails and bivalves, and pasture spread over the surface attracting a large number of migratory birds.