Background
East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW), the only Ramsar site in the state of West Bengal in India, is currently facing challenges of getting deleted from Ramsar wetland list owing to severe urban encroachment, noxious waste escalation and pollutant loading. It was enlisted only four years back on 19th August 2002. Comprising of a cluster of interdistributary swamps, spread across 12,500 hectare, it is renowned as model of multiple use wetland having resource recovery system developed and maintained by the local commune. Water flows through fishponds that cover 4000 hectare and acts as solar reactors as well for continued biochemical reactions towards resource recovery. The entire area integrates 272 bheries (fishponds) supporting 104 wetland species of plants, an impressive range of migrant and resident birds, including the endemic endangered marsh mongoose and mud turtle.
How important EKW is to Kolkata?
The East Kolkata Wetlands is the only sewage treatment facility for 12 million inhabitants of the city that naturally treats the sewage with a detention period of 30 days by solar chemical reaction.
It would have cost the government Rs. 400 crores per year to do the same in treatment plants with another 100 crores as maintenances cost.
It receives some 980 MLD (million liters per day) of raw sewage and over 3,000 tons of municipal waste each day. Untreated sewage produced by the nation is 29,129 MLD of which only 6,127MLD is treated. EKW does 16% of the work free of cost.
It supports diverse human activities, and sustains the livelihood of 80,000 wetland dwellers of which 83.86% are poor, underprivileged (SC/ST)
EKW supplies 13000 tons of table fish from waste water fishery and 11000 tons of paddies per year along with 156 tons of fresh vegetables per day to the city.
It harbors 52 endemic fishes of which 34 are threatened, other significant fauna of EKW includes migratory birds, endangered marsh mongoose and mud turtles.
East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW), the only Ramsar site in the state of West Bengal in India, is currently facing challenges of getting deleted from Ramsar wetland list owing to severe urban encroachment, noxious waste escalation and pollutant loading. It was enlisted only four years back on 19th August 2002. Comprising of a cluster of interdistributary swamps, spread across 12,500 hectare, it is renowned as model of multiple use wetland having resource recovery system developed and maintained by the local commune. Water flows through fishponds that cover 4000 hectare and acts as solar reactors as well for continued biochemical reactions towards resource recovery. The entire area integrates 272 bheries (fishponds) supporting 104 wetland species of plants, an impressive range of migrant and resident birds, including the endemic endangered marsh mongoose and mud turtle.
How important EKW is to Kolkata?
The East Kolkata Wetlands is the only sewage treatment facility for 12 million inhabitants of the city that naturally treats the sewage with a detention period of 30 days by solar chemical reaction.
It would have cost the government Rs. 400 crores per year to do the same in treatment plants with another 100 crores as maintenances cost.
It receives some 980 MLD (million liters per day) of raw sewage and over 3,000 tons of municipal waste each day. Untreated sewage produced by the nation is 29,129 MLD of which only 6,127MLD is treated. EKW does 16% of the work free of cost.
It supports diverse human activities, and sustains the livelihood of 80,000 wetland dwellers of which 83.86% are poor, underprivileged (SC/ST)
EKW supplies 13000 tons of table fish from waste water fishery and 11000 tons of paddies per year along with 156 tons of fresh vegetables per day to the city.
It harbors 52 endemic fishes of which 34 are threatened, other significant fauna of EKW includes migratory birds, endangered marsh mongoose and mud turtles.
What is the crisis at EKW?
Owing to fast encroachment by real estate dealers and dumping of untreated wastes the international site is facing the threat of getting de-listed. The most important and massive land use change was caused by urbanization initiated by the government of West Bengal since 1956. The former Calcutta Metropolitan Planning Organisation (CMPO) plan converted the north-western part of the wetlands adjacent to the city into what is now known as Salt Lake City or Bidhnnagar. Thus out of 20,000 acres of wetlands recorded in 1945 EKW now have less than 10,000 acres left as wastewater fish ponds.
A four lane expressway from Barasaat to Rainchak under “New Kolkata International Development project of Indonesian Business group will run through 85 Km of wetlands, Further one SEZ and industrial hub will be established to which the wetlands authority had given clean chit.
Till date neither any accurate mapping of the wetland has been done nor do any inventory made for conservation.
Habitat loss and vanishing biodiversity from EKW is a matter of serious concern
Poverty, ignorance and wretched life status of wetland dwellers, especially fisherwomen at EKW with no sanitation and medical facility.
Immediate needs for East Kolkata Wetlands
1 Habitat evaluation and establishment of a monitoring station and information
portal exclusively for EKW in near
vicinity
2 Strategic Impact Assessment (SIA) studies in environmental, social and economic segments and
streamlining the restoration action plan for
EKW
3 Preparation of an updated wetland inventory for EKW through ecological research and
planning
4 Poverty alleviation and sustainable development programmes for local community and
awareness drive for participatory restoration programme.
Initiate participatory community efforts in a smaller segment of wetland dwellers for conservation through awareness camps and field visits.
Initiate partnership with civil society, corporate and government sectors in addressing the issue.
Directives from Department of Higher Education, Govt. of West Bengal for active partnership and participation of Bidhannagar College, Salt Lake with SAFE has given exposure to the student of the locality about EKW and has developed a concern among the local youth.
Structured and undertaken sociometric survey in some areas of the wetland to assess the socioeconomic scenario in EKW community.
Construct a small eco-sanitation facility (WWF model) for the fisherwomen and install periodic medical check-up facility free of cost for the local people with the support extended by Rotary Club, Bhowanipore Kolkata
Initiate the formation of women Self Help Group with support from NABARD Regional Office Kolkata towards micro financing for poverty alleviation.
Launched field research for habitat evaluation of endemic fishes with grants from British Ecological Society UK.
Celebrated World Wetlands Day with the fishermen community and the report published with Ramsar Secretariat website.
1 comment:
Thank you for the information. I am researching for my book and this is a good lead.
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