I have always read of water problems that talk about sanitation crisis, unsafe drinking water, organic, inorganic and thermal pollution, etc. I would like to do a story that talk about the alteration of estuary ecosystem. Gouging of river running through cities for development has become a common modernization instrument used today. Mumbai has already been deprived off its 225 bird species that used to visit the banks of Mithi River which has now been lessened down to few. Because of the total disregard for the significance of the Mithi River and an avaricious greed for destroying open spaces for profit, brought this city to near destruction. Tall buildings of great importance in today’s world like the National Stock Exchange building, and the MMRDA office has been built right on the course of the Mithi River. Reclamation of areas has suppressed the river’s flow and as a result there is no mixing of the river with the sea, thus contradicting the meaning of an ‘estuary’. This proves the disregard for the river as just a gutter. Mumbai, when it receives a decent amount of rainfall, for even a single day, areas like Kurla, Sion, Matunga and Kalina areas flood severely. The consequence of callousness is for all of us to see. The run-off coefficient is no longer favorable. Open spaces have decreased rapidly. And the high tide is playing havoc with the shoreline of Mumbai. As per the IPCC reports on climate change, Mumbai is a threatened costal city. I live in a coastal city too, Chennai. Nothing is more symbolic of our utter disregard for our natural heritage than the destruction of the Adyar estuary in Chennai. Most of the swampy areas and lakes of this city have been overwhelmed by the urban sprawl. But those wetlands were reclaimed when we did not know much about the awesome interconnections in environment, between the reclamation of lakes and water shortage. But the Adyar estuary survived, till recently. It is not just a bird refuge; it’s an open space for the city, a wetland that takes care of your subterranean water table, and a unique geographical feature. It is one important dimension of the physical identity of the city. It takes a millines to shape an estuary, but overnight we have ruined it by deciding to dredge, gouge and defile the river. Before long it will become an urban wasteland. The Adyar estuary is a textbook case of a fragile natural heritage losing out to frenzied urbanisation, a process that has happened in many cities. Of all the habitats, wetlands are particularly susceptible to such threats from the land-hungry. The wetlands played important roles as groundwater recharging units, natural drain-off mechanisms during monsoon and natural habitat for fish, birds and other aquatic life. We are losing everything, the hydrobiological strength of the coastal water of Bay of Bengal, the great flora and fauna, a lot of wild growth attracting a large number of birds within the city and the ground water table that was stored in the marsh. All losses because of the dying wetlands and rivers in the pedestal development. The government weeds out encroachments like slums but care nothing about the government offices that are the real big encroachments into the river. It would seem the conservationists have lost the battle and it is only a matter of time before the fauna in the estuary will vanish forever and the flora stifled.
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Couple this with the introduction of genetically-modified seeds, inefficient governance at the local level, and loan sharks, and it has been a crisis in the making. Small farmers around the nation have been driven into debt, and unable to repay loans, many have resorted to suicide.
Watch the video to learn more about this problem.
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The film highlights the misconception we hold about our extractable coal availability, unravels the social and economic costs of coal – and puts forward key questions about who this coal is benefiting thus highlights the true cost of mining and using this coal – in times of a climate emergency, food and water crisis.
The immediate solution the film highlights is efficiency and conservation – which requires a war like effort – and ends by questioning our current path of operation which is obsessed with the western concept of growth and development. India can clearly not make the same mistakes as the west, and should truly look at the energy really necessary, and live with respect for its resources and surroundings.
This film gives a new perspective to Coal in India – Addressing India’s growing energy needs, problems of energy security and Climate Change Vulnerabilities and asks the most important question our generation will confront – and the possibility of a Bright Future hinges on the answer we choose.
Check Out our Brand New Gallery straight from the Burning Coal Fields of Jharia
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Sunderbans – An archipelago of mangrove ecosystems, and home to the Royal Bengal Tigers, boasting a biodiversity extremely rich in flora and fauna, and its right next door – a journey of half a day from my city, Kolkata.
An yet, the first time I visited these islands, all I could find is devastation. It had been hit by the biggest cyclone in the last 40 years – The Aila.
I was a part of a medical team that was going to provide them with basic medicines and amenities till the Government supplies arrived. As we visited more and more villages, I realized that it was the same story everywhere. People suffering from Diarrhea, skin diseases, food poisoning, blood pressure. They had no food for themselves or for their children. And it was 5 days since the cyclone!
Everywhere I saw, there were broken houses, uprooted trees, flooded fields and dead animals. Every house had a story to tell of a loved one they lost. Death was looming heavy.
And yet, I could see the smiles on the faces of children, upon seeing us. Women blush when I noted their blood pressure, and men would pretend strong as we would tend to their wounds.
Thats Sunderban, thats India. Life goes on. There is so much more to worry about today, that the yesterdays are washed away with the tide.
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