WUNRN
Website - United Nations Climate
Change Conference 2009
Copenhagen, Denmark - http://en.cop15.dk/
Women's Feature Service
India - New Delhi
By Ajitha Menon
Tanushree Patra with her group of
'Surja Sikha' women. At Copenhagen, 32-year-old Tanushree will endeavour to
highlight her first hand experience of living in one of the world's three
worst-affected climate hotspots. (Credit: Jayanta Pal\WFS)
Sunderbans (Women's Feature Service) -
Tanushree Patra, a woman from the remote island
Sunderban is one of the most
ecologically vulnerable zones in the world. Global warming is wrecking the
delicate ecology of this estuarine region, which stretches from West Bengal to
neighbouring
The area is an alluvial archipelago,
with creeks, streams and rivers meandering around the largest mangrove forest
in the world. It's also home to the endangered Royal Bengal Tiger. The
villagers living in the islands dotting the area are already facing the brunt
of rising sea levels. "Rivers breach embankments regularly while cyclones
and floods have become a way of life. Incoming saline water has ruined
agriculture, mainly paddy cultivation, and is threatening the conservation of
the mangrove forest," says Tanushree.
Some islands are already completely
submerged, causing about 10,000 villagers to become climate refugees. They have
set up temporary shelters on the larger
"We are not perpetrators of carbon
emission or global warming, but we are one of the primary victims by virtue of
our geographical location. We have been suffering for years," Suchitra
Bala Patra, 58. The sentiment is echoed by Dr S.P. Gon Chaudhuri, Managing
Director, West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation Limited, "Along
with the area around the Nile in Africa and the
Studies indicate that sea surface
temperature is rising in the Bay of Bengal as well as the
"My mud house got completely
washed away in Aila. Even now we are sheltering in the cowshed, which
miraculously escaped with minor damage. Several other houses in our village
were washed away. My wife lost her cattle including eight sheep and one goat.
The saline water, which came in with the high tide ruined all the standing
crops," reveals Utpal, Tanushree's husband.
Tanushree, with a Masters Degree in
History, came to Govindopur Abad island as a young bride of 24 in 2001. Since
then she has witnessed several cyclones and their aftermath, including the
worst - Aila. "Let alone the cyclones, even the routine flooding of our
village by the surrounding Curzon creek due to rising water levels during high
tide is causing damage to crops because of salinity. A major part of
agricultural land has become unproductive because of this. A large number of
water borne diseases are also spreading amongst human beings and animals
because of the flooding," she says.
"I am educated and I had some idea
about what to do. So, I mobilised a group of women for tree plantation and
building of higher embankments around our village," she adds. Tanushree
set up the 'Surja Sikha' Self Help Group with 10 women for the purpose. Besides
creating awareness on water-borne diseases and conducting regular tree
plantation to replenish the depleting mangrove, the group also started
sheep-breeding as a means of alternate livelihood because crops were regularly
being destroyed by the saline flood waters. The SHG also motivated others in
the village to build embankments around their island under the National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act, the 100-day employment scheme.
When representatives of Indraprastha
Srijan Welfare Society, a civil society organisation, visited Govindopur Abad
after Aila to offer help, they were struck by the initiative taken by Tanushree
in creating awareness on diseases and fighting the impact of climate change.
"We facilitated her scheduled participation at the meet in
Tanushree has no qualms about stating
her requirements before an international audience. "Measures like
large-scale planting of mangrove trees, conservation of wildlife, increased use
of solar energy for motor vans, boats and launches plying in the area, organic
farming instead of the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, planting of
crops which would survive in saline water conditions are needed. The most
important requirement is building permanent embankments for the rivers. Constant
flooding is the biggest danger right now," she says. A government study
has indicated that reconstruction of damaged embankments would cost more than
Rs 10,000 crore.
"No hybrid paddy can be cultivated
here anymore because of the salinity but some indigenous paddy still grow. We
are also now witnessing a curious phenomenon: summer days no longer have their
characteristic heat, and winters are no longer as cold as they once were. This
is also damaging the crops. We need some kind of technological support to
ensure agricultural production in our villages and also the creation of
alternative employment opportunities," says Sipra Pradhan, 35, a member of
Surja Sikha.
While Tanushree will be speaking her
mind in Copenhagen on her situation, along with a demand that the developed
world and industrial belts reduce their carbon emissions so that places like
Sunderbans can be protected, the West Bengal government has made a case for the
delta area, in support of people like Tanushree, through a charter of demands
that the official Indian delegation will present at Copenhagen. The demands
include financial assistance, advanced scientific technology transfer to
mitigate the damage caused by cyclones, measures and projects to safeguard the
mangrove forest and the wildlife there.
If
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