Ratargul is the only ‘freshwater swamp forest’ in our country. The distance from Sylhet to this country’s only recognized swamp forest is about 20 kilometers. The location of this water forest is Khadimnagar union of Sadar Upazila of Sylhet district and Fatehpur union of bordering Upazila Gowainghat.

The Goain River, which flows down from Meghalaya in the north, has a huge haor in the south. In the middle of the ‘Jalaban’ Ratargul. According to Wikipedia, there are only 22 freshwater wetlands in the world. There are two Indian subcontinents, one in Sri Lanka and the other in our Ratargul.

Amazon is the only one that can be compared with this beautiful forest. Although known as the Rain Forest, the Amazon is the largest freshwater swamp forest in the world. This freshwater forest is our Ratargul just like the Amazon swamp.

In the local language of Sylhet, murta or patigacha is known as ‘Ratagacha’. The name of this forest is Ratargul after the name of that idol or Ratagachera. Like the Amazon, most of the vegetation stays underwater for four to seven months a year. The waters of Meghalaya in India flow into the Goain River, and a narrow tributary of the Chengi Canal floods the entire Ratargul wetland. There is almost always water in the forest during the monsoon season (May-September). In winter, of course, it happens, and like ten forests, it is a dry land with fallen leaves. And the small canals become footpaths. And then the aquatic fauna is sheltered in the big lakes dug by the forest department.

The state of this water is very strange in the rainy season. Up to the waist of a tree is submerged in water. Those that are a little smaller, they are half submerged in water again. Fishermen are getting fishing nets somewhere. The whole forest seems to be dark because of the dense vegetation. Occasionally the tree stalks will block the path. They have to be removed by hand. However, in the rainy season, you have to be very careful in this forest. Because Ratargul is the arena of snakes. In the rainy season, snakes take their place on the trees.