Hasina simsaar is an attractive wetland located at Sundar haraicha municipality in Morang district in Eastern region of Nepal. It is about 7 km northeast from Itahari chowk and lies at an elevation of around 120 meters above sea level. It covers an area of about 48 hectares and comprises of marsh, swamp, ponds, lake & streams. This wetland is among the ideal choice of destination for the regional use as this place can be utilized as a picnic spot, to spend some quality time with family, nature hiking, and carrying out other recreational activities. This wetland features a quaint environment along with other beautiful structures and monuments.
This wetland was established and introduced in 2068 BS started its operation with a motto of “Lets return to nature” with an aim of being one of the most visited, beautiful and biodiversity enriched ecosystem and a first choice for local trips and tours. Inside the vicinity of the wetland, beautiful statues and sculpture of animals and birds such as dinosaurs, snakes, crocodiles, earth, scarecrow, etc. has been constructed. The pond in the terrain also offers a boating amenity that can be used as a source of recreation and entertainment. This wetland also habitats various species of floating and submerged macroflora, various vegetation, and many precious flora and fauna.
Along with its natural beauty and unique structures, this wetland also features religious monuments or sites such as the Shivalaya Temple, Buddha Pokhari, Buddha Bihar, Nag Pokhari, etc. These religious spots are built in a unique and devoted method that present these structures with a divine view. These temples and religious sites are also one of the reasons of attraction of huge number of tourists in the region. Other major attractions of this marshland are tiny zoo, six small lakes and other beautiful artifacts and structures that has been attracting a lot of tourists every day.
The famous Hasina wetland in North Morang can be easily accessed with an entry ticket of Rs 25 to enter. Picnic venues cost between Rs 500 to Rs 1,000, depending on location and the fee for boating is only Rs 25 per person for an hour. According to the Chairman of the Hasina wetland area, Mr. Parshuram Ghimire, this area opens from 7 am to 5 pm and is visited by almost 300-500 tourists every day. Most of the tourists in this area include nature lovers and religious visitors from local cities as well as nearby Indian cities.
Local level authorities as well as National Tourism Board has been allocating strategical budget for the development and promotion of this wetland in cooperation with the native people. This wetland is also visited by many researchers in order to study about the unidentified species of flora and fauna of the region and to conserve them while increasing their population. The local people, however, believe that although this site has started to be recognized as a popular regional tourism hub, efforts are required to transform this place and establish it as of the significant eco-tourism spot of the region. In response to this, the former president of the wetland stated that steps such as construction of life to death statue of Buddha, artistic water streams and other projects have been introduced to establish this wetland as a tourism and botanical hub.
-Article written by: Ujjwal Bhetwal for Land Nepal
