Wetland and the Need for Preservation
Wetlands include mangroves, peatlands and marshes, rivers and lakes, deltas, floodplains, and flooded forests, rice fields, and even coral reefs. Wetlands are considered the cradles of biological diversity. They are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems. Wetlands are indispensable for countless benefits because they provide innumerable advantages for humanity; these range from freshwater, and food supply, to flood control, groundwater recharge, and climate change mitigation. Some of the major contributions of wetlands are:
Wetlands provide fresh water for us all. Wetlands help purify and replenish the aquifers humanity depends on.
Wetlands purify water and filter waste. Plants from wetlands can help lessen water pollution.
Wetlands feed humanity. Rice, grown in wetland paddies, is the staple diet of nearly three billion people.
Wetlands are bursting with biodiversity. Essential for many amphibians and reptiles, as well as for bird breeding and migration.
Wetlands fight climate change. In the face of rising sea levels, coastal wetlands reduce the impact of typhoons and tsunamis.
Wetlands provide sustainable products and livelihoods. 61.8 million people earn their living directly from fishing and aquaculture.
Studies, however, demonstrate that wetland area and quality continue to decline in most regions of the world. As a result, the ecosystem services that wetlands provide to people are compromised. Managing wetlands has become a global challenge.
The global extent of wetlands is now estimated to have declined between 64-71% in the 20th century, and wetland losses and degradation continue worldwide. Measured against 1700, wetland loss is an estimated 87% worldwide. Because of wetland losses and degradation, people are deprived of the ecosystem services that wetlands provide. Adverse changes to wetlands, including coral reefs, are estimated to result in more than US$20 trillion in losses of ecosystem services annually.
Causes of Wetland Loss
Major changes in land use specifically increases in agriculture, grazing animals, and logging have mainly contributed to the loss of wetlands. Water diversion through dams, infrastructure development, particularly in river valleys and coastal areas are other major contributors.
Ramsar Convention, 1971
Ramsar Convention or Convention of Wetlands was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Only 7 countries participated in the original convention. Since then almost 90% of the UN member states have become are signatories to the Ramsar Convention. It is the only global treaty that focuses on the wetlands. Ramsar is the first of the modern global intergovernmental treaties on the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. The main aim of the convention was to recognize the interdependence of humans and the environment as well as the ecological functions of wetlands, such as wildlife habitat, nutrient cycling, and flood control. The three pillars of the convention are:
work towards the wise use of all their wetlands;
designate suitable wetlands for the list of Wetlands of International Importance (the “Ramsar List”) and ensure their effective management;
cooperate internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems, and shared species.
2,433 wetlands worldwide, covering 254,634,721 ha have been identified as wetlands of importance. The Convention uses a broad definition of wetlands. This includes all lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas, and tidal flats, mangroves, and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs, and salt pans.
Ramsar Sites of Kolkata, West Bengal
Out of 46 Ramsar sites in India, two belong to West Bengal. These are Sunderban and East Kolkata Wetlands. It is a combination of natural and man-made wetlands that is located on the eastern fringes of Kolkata city bordering the Salt Lake township on the one hand and the new township at Rajarhat on the other. It is one of the largest assemblages of sewage-fed fish ponds. This 125 sq. km area was declared a Ramsar site on 19th August 2002.
Grim Future of East Kolkata Wetlands
Unfortunately, most of the Kolkata residents are not aware that the East Kolkata Wetlands is a Ramsar site. If you pass through the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, a 21km arterial road that roughly marks the boundary between thickly populated areas and the wetlands you will find not a single billboard or sign that even acknowledges its presence or the unique functions it fulfills. Though Kolkata is expanding rapidly, its sewage treatment cost is one of the lowest in the world. According to the studies the system traps 60 percent carbon from the city’s sewage and tannery effluents. It also helps to keep the city’s air clean.
The carbon footprint of the food the city consumes is minimal because some 50% of the vegetables and fish are produced right in the backyard at amazingly low costs. The fish, for example, grow on free food in the form of algae from the wastewater treatment. According to the official estimate, about 10,000 tonnes of fish is produced in the fisheries every year and 150 tonnes of vegetables are supplied daily to the city’s markets.
In spite of its usefulness, this Ramsar sites' future is dwindling due to several reasons:
Lust for land: Real estate development and illegal constructions are slowly devouring this wetland. A law barring new construction on the wetlands, which entered its fifteenth toothless year has not dissuaded property developers. The instances are too many to be denied. The East Kolkata Wetlands Management Authority, which was established in 2005, has virtually no control over what happens within its jurisdiction that is spread over 12,500 hectares. Most of the time, the authorities are reduced to filing police complaints when any illegal construction is brought to its notice.
Dirty Industries: plastic recycling and leather processing units on land are springing up where there were fertile vegetable gardens a few years ago. Over 50 plastic recycling units have sprung up in recent times.
In 2002 as much as 88% of the land in Bhagabanpur mouza (a rural administrative area) was partly or completely underwater for most of the year, supporting a thriving fishing community. By 2016, when a detailed land survey was conducted, only 14% remained.
Actions Taken
Environmentalists are strongly opposed to encroachments in the wetlands. Sabuj Mancha, an association of civil society organizations, has demanded a judicial commission headed by either a Supreme Court or a high court judge to inquire into numerous encroachments to fill up the wetlands in blatant violation of judicial verdicts and mandate of the Ramsar treaty.
National Green Tribunal (NGT) had warned the Urban local bodies (ULB) of punishment if they fail to comply with its order over waste disposal at the wetlands. West Bengal’s environment department and the ULBs in the eastern fringe of Kolkata were told by the court their officials could receive civil imprisonment, withholding salaries, and payment of penalties. The NGT, July 2020, ordered the scientific shifting of legacy waste — also called bio-mining — accumulated in the wetlands for decades.
How to Save the Wetlands
Education is usually known to be the savior of the environment, however, no schools bring pupils on trips to the wetlands and no biology lessons are dedicated to understanding this marvellously useful system. If the East Kolkata Wetlands are to be saved in a meaningful way, there has to be heightened public awareness that the city sorely needs the wetlands for its own survival. If the people temain indifferent, then there is no hope for the wetlands.
References
Pal, S., Manna, S., Chattopadhyay, B., & Mukhopadhyay, S. K. (2016). Carbon sequestration and its relation with some soil properties of East Kolkata Wetlands (a Ramsar Site): a spatio-temporal study using radial basis functions. Modeling Earth Systems and Environment, 2(2), 80.
https://indiaclimatedialogue.net/2017/03/13/east-kolkata-wetlands-face-new-threats-government/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_parties_to_the_Ramsar_Convention
Public/children should be made aware about the necessity and usefulness of wetlands.. hoardings should be there stating the utility of the Ramsar site, stricter laws and stringent measures should be taken if anyone/any organisation is seen violating the laws... Otherwise encroachment and toxic waste disposal will continue unabated..