Nature's own sewage system under threat
KOLKATA: East Kolkata Wetlands is one of 17 wetlands worldwide that is recognized for its wise use by Ramsar Convention, an inter-governmental treaty on conservation of wetlands of international importance to which India is a signatory.
Situated along the city's eastern fringes, the sprawling wetlands comprising shallow fish farms, agricultural fields and villages act as the city's natural sewage treatment system as well as the local fish, rice and vegetable source.
Mapped in 1985 by then environmental engineer Dhrubajyoti Ghosh, the 12,500-hectare unique ecosystem was listed as a Ramsar site in 2002. A decade later, the site has shrunk and the very existence of the ecosystem is under threat. And so is the survival of Kolkata.
"If the bheris disappear, so will a natural sewage treatment system that has served Kolkata for over a century. If that happens, thousands of crores will have to be spent to build and run sewage treatment plants. Can the city afford to spend on such colossal infrastructure when it been enjoying free services?" questioned Ghosh, who is now the South Asia vice-chairman of the Commission on Ecosystem Management at International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Credited with discovering the utility of the wetlands and its subsequent recognition globally, Ghosh had convinced former chief minister Jyoti Basu that the wetlands, if allowed to thrive, would continue to process the city's sewage forever. According to scientists, around 980 million litre of sewage is dumped into EKW daily. This sewage is then detained in canals and ponds for a month where it is naturally treated through exposure to sunlight.
"In 1986, Basu wanted to see what the wetlands were about and asked me to show him the place. After giving him a tour, I dipped a glass into a bheri and then drank the water. He was shocked, but that was how I convinced him that the water had got treated. Eventually, he resisted pressure from Delhi to set up treatment plants for Kolkata under the Ganga Action Plan," Ghosh recounted.
A defunct sewage treatment system isn't the only threat that Kolkata faces if EKW is lost. The city will also lose a vital food source to feed its teeming millions. The EKW has a perennial supply of fish, rice and vegetables that are sold in Kolkata's markets.
According to Dipayan Dey of SAFE, the 240 bheris in EKW produce 10,000 tonne of fish annually. In addition, the farmlands produce 1,500 tonne of rice and 55,000 tonne of vegetables. "If the fish and vegetables were to be procured from distant places, not only will the city's food security be at risk, people would also have to pay more to buy them. And let's not forget the 100,000-odd people who earn a living from the wetlands," he pointed out.
Yet, that seems to be the fate of EKW given the massive encroachment and rampant construction in Paschim Chowbagha, Chowbagha, Chakkalar Khal, Kharki, Bagabanpur and Madurdaha. There is pressure to urbanize in the nearby Karimpur and Jagatipota mouzas as well as Kulberia and Dharamtala Panchuria on the opposite side.
What makes the bheris particularly vulnerable is the ambiguity over their ownership. In 80% cases, owners are either untraceable or have no tangible connection with the bheri. And except for Goltala, Captain bheri and Nalban, the other fishermen's cooperatives do not have proper registration.
Ghosh feels it is high time that the EKW map is redrawn so that people get a reality check. "The EKW system harbours an outstanding and unique knowledge system without any other instance of such a wisdom in waste recycling anywhere in the world. As is true almost anywhere in our country, traditional knowledge systems particularly in agriculture are under mindless assault, and it is the same here in EKW. The knowledge stock is diminishing, and diminishing rapidly," he warned.
As an EKW management authority member, he wrote to the chief secretary in April 2011, suggesting that the map be redrawn to reflect the drastic changes since the Ramsar listing in 2002. But there has been no response.
"Increasing chunks of land are getting converted into regular township type of agglomerates. The settlers are from outside and have no social or economic connect with EKW. The canals previously used for wastewater supply to fisheries and agriculture are now used as a common drain for adjacent buildings. The original EKW map was drawn in 1985 on the basis of specific scientific, social and administrative arguments. It is improper to continue to include such places which have been urbanized or on the verge of urbanization within the boundary of a wetland of international importance. The EKW map should therefore be re-drawn eliminating places that have irreversibly changed," Ghosh argued.
Source - TOI - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Natures-own-sewage-system-under-threat/articleshow/20902829.cms
Situated along the city's eastern fringes, the sprawling wetlands comprising shallow fish farms, agricultural fields and villages act as the city's natural sewage treatment system as well as the local fish, rice and vegetable source.
Mapped in 1985 by then environmental engineer Dhrubajyoti Ghosh, the 12,500-hectare unique ecosystem was listed as a Ramsar site in 2002. A decade later, the site has shrunk and the very existence of the ecosystem is under threat. And so is the survival of Kolkata.
"If the bheris disappear, so will a natural sewage treatment system that has served Kolkata for over a century. If that happens, thousands of crores will have to be spent to build and run sewage treatment plants. Can the city afford to spend on such colossal infrastructure when it been enjoying free services?" questioned Ghosh, who is now the South Asia vice-chairman of the Commission on Ecosystem Management at International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Credited with discovering the utility of the wetlands and its subsequent recognition globally, Ghosh had convinced former chief minister Jyoti Basu that the wetlands, if allowed to thrive, would continue to process the city's sewage forever. According to scientists, around 980 million litre of sewage is dumped into EKW daily. This sewage is then detained in canals and ponds for a month where it is naturally treated through exposure to sunlight.
"In 1986, Basu wanted to see what the wetlands were about and asked me to show him the place. After giving him a tour, I dipped a glass into a bheri and then drank the water. He was shocked, but that was how I convinced him that the water had got treated. Eventually, he resisted pressure from Delhi to set up treatment plants for Kolkata under the Ganga Action Plan," Ghosh recounted.
A defunct sewage treatment system isn't the only threat that Kolkata faces if EKW is lost. The city will also lose a vital food source to feed its teeming millions. The EKW has a perennial supply of fish, rice and vegetables that are sold in Kolkata's markets.
According to Dipayan Dey of SAFE, the 240 bheris in EKW produce 10,000 tonne of fish annually. In addition, the farmlands produce 1,500 tonne of rice and 55,000 tonne of vegetables. "If the fish and vegetables were to be procured from distant places, not only will the city's food security be at risk, people would also have to pay more to buy them. And let's not forget the 100,000-odd people who earn a living from the wetlands," he pointed out.
Yet, that seems to be the fate of EKW given the massive encroachment and rampant construction in Paschim Chowbagha, Chowbagha, Chakkalar Khal, Kharki, Bagabanpur and Madurdaha. There is pressure to urbanize in the nearby Karimpur and Jagatipota mouzas as well as Kulberia and Dharamtala Panchuria on the opposite side.
What makes the bheris particularly vulnerable is the ambiguity over their ownership. In 80% cases, owners are either untraceable or have no tangible connection with the bheri. And except for Goltala, Captain bheri and Nalban, the other fishermen's cooperatives do not have proper registration.
Ghosh feels it is high time that the EKW map is redrawn so that people get a reality check. "The EKW system harbours an outstanding and unique knowledge system without any other instance of such a wisdom in waste recycling anywhere in the world. As is true almost anywhere in our country, traditional knowledge systems particularly in agriculture are under mindless assault, and it is the same here in EKW. The knowledge stock is diminishing, and diminishing rapidly," he warned.
As an EKW management authority member, he wrote to the chief secretary in April 2011, suggesting that the map be redrawn to reflect the drastic changes since the Ramsar listing in 2002. But there has been no response.
"Increasing chunks of land are getting converted into regular township type of agglomerates. The settlers are from outside and have no social or economic connect with EKW. The canals previously used for wastewater supply to fisheries and agriculture are now used as a common drain for adjacent buildings. The original EKW map was drawn in 1985 on the basis of specific scientific, social and administrative arguments. It is improper to continue to include such places which have been urbanized or on the verge of urbanization within the boundary of a wetland of international importance. The EKW map should therefore be re-drawn eliminating places that have irreversibly changed," Ghosh argued.
Source - TOI - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Natures-own-sewage-system-under-threat/articleshow/20902829.cms