| Our visit to the East Kolkata Wetlands | ||||
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Yuki UEHARA |
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I met Dipayan at Chigrighata on the East Metropolitan Bypass, which goes towards the airport. He took me and showed me around two villages: One is where the native community and immigrants are mixed, and the other is a bit off the main road so it took us several minutes from the bypass. As we drove, the waterside appeared in front of us looking just like huge lakes or ponds. Along the shores I saw people washing clothes and bathing, and the peaceful atmosphere and scenery were, simply, beautiful. Here there are units of “lakes and ponds” called BHERIES in Bengali, and each BHERY community has autonomy over its own fish cultivation. People have been making their living here for generations and generations. |
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Dipayan told me that by the end of next month, this area will totally change its appearance because the fishers are going to remove water from some of these “lakes” for maintenance of their depth. They will be busy for a while, but other than that they won’t have any productive work during this season, which also means no income. This is the last opportunity in this year when we can see so much water in this area. Apart from the BHERIES, two more scenes caught my eye: skyscrapers and garbage hills. If you look across to the other side of the BHERY there are many IT industry skyscrapers, and then if you turn around, you will find hills of dumped garbage just behind you. The skyscrapers were constructed on top of former wetlands, and as for the hills, many trucks have been carrying garbage from all over Kolkata. These scenes create strong contrasts, which gave me a vivid impression of the challenges that this area has been facing. This area, called the “East Kolkata Wetlands” (EKW), is so huge that it stretches all the way to the Bay of Bengal. What we saw was, indeed, only a part of it. If we think about the EKW as a whole, we realize the importance of its function. Kolkata doesn’t have proper infrastructure for sewage disposal, or even a legal framework for it, and most all of the sewage from all over the city flows into these wetlands through countless drains. Incredibly, by the time all this effluent reaches the Bay of Bengal via the EKW it will be almost purified. Knowing that the EKW functions as a huge natural facility for sewage processing, it is easy to understand that conserving the wetlands is essential in order to prevent Kolkata, its suburbs, and the Bay of Bengal from being polluted. The South Asian Forum for Environment (SAFE) has been casting serious doubts on the continuing pressure to landfill the EKW for the purpose of further industrialization. To preserve this unique ecosystem, SAFE has been trying to sensitize stakeholders and local communities with various approaches, such as advocacy, Environmental Education, and partnership with “waterside people.” What made me realized the importance of the EKW is not only its function, but also its capacity. It is surprising to know that even if Kolkata keeps growing, the EKW will be able to function as a “natural sewage purification system” for at least one more century as long as the present wetlands remain in their “natural” state. Now, what is needed most is to preserve the EKW, a very difficult goal. Immediate actions are needed because the EKW has been losing one percent of its total area each year. Therefore, whatever is done, or not done, during the coming 10 to 15 years will make a tremendous difference in the future of the EKW and the city of Kolkata. I also came to know about another value of the EKW: its cultural heritage. The region’s native peoples have been having interaction directly and/or indirectly with this huge wetland for centuries, and it is exciting just to imagine their histories and practices in this huge, beautiful environment. However, this unique cultural value could be easily neglected, especially in comparison to visible realities, such as industrialization and land development. If urbanization escalates, as is happening, pollution in urban Kolkata will become even more visible, and the Government of West Bengal may have no choice but to create infrastructure and facilities for sewage disposal. If this happens, much of the city’s sewage might be treated without any help from the wetlands. Wouldn’t it be ironic, and tragic, if people start thinking that the EKW is no longer necessary? The “wetlands as cultural heritage” could be threatened in other ways, too. If people’s lifestyles become more urbanized, the gap between “waterside people” and “city-side people” will be easily measured using “simple” economical indicators. What will happen then? Perhaps the “waterside people,” who are comparatively poor economically, might begin to feel that it is better to leave their homes and immigrate to the city. But will this provide any fundamental solutions or improvements? When we consider these questions carefully we come back to the conclusion that we should preserve the EKW. In order to do so, I believe the following steps are essential: • SAFE itself should develop a comprehensive vision for Kolkata city planning with a perspective that ensures the preservation of the EKW; • introduce examples of such comprehensive planning to the Govt. of West Bengal; • facilitate local initiatives aimed at helping local people to re-discover, develop and document the philosophy and the values of “waterside life”; and, • transfer authority for wetland management from the government to local communities, through a win-win stakeholders’ process involving cooperation and acceptance on both sides. Assuming the government will see the value in working together, outsiders (both outside the EKW and outside India) can play an important role in encouraging and supporting cooperation. Eco-tourism, for example, can bring revenue and respect to all the stakeholders, if it can be planned and managed properly, as SAFE has been trying to do. |
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During our visit to the wetland, I found it interesting that “Haiku” (a Japanese poem with three lines and usually 17 syllables) came up in our conversation. In Japan, city planning initiatives often get help from literary expressions that capture the cultural or ecological importance of an area. For example, one popular technique in Japan is to provide easy-to-follow routes in a city so people can follow in the footsteps of famous Haiku poets. This can help people to re-discover local values, which can be followed by other creative efforts. In short, it is important to draw the attention of various sectors and to get many people involved. In the very first stages, I think it is important to (i) diagram/delineate/describe the connections and relationships between the wetlands and other social issues; (ii) ensure awareness of this issue by raising it at numerous international conferences; and, (iii) deepen and broaden awareness through the various media, locally, nationally and internationally. I am hopeful that SAFE can make great strides in preserving the EKW because I believe in their philosophy: to stand beside the “waterside people” as close as possible, based on which SAFE has been carrying out their activities. This stance is, I believe, is just the beginning of a long journey toward success. |
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