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Evolution of the Urban Wastewater Bio-treatment and Reuse System of East Kolkata Wetlands, India: an Appraisal

  • Wetland Conservation
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Abstract

The 125 km2 East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW) is not only the world’s largest wastewater fed aquaculture site but also a Ramsar recognized eco-diversity zone. The EKW, comprising of multiple water-bodies, interspersed with cultivable land and human settlements, came into existence in the early twentieth century from an interaction between the then newly established wastewater disposal system of the city of Kolkata and the large salt lakes that once existed in the region. The wastewater solids being let into the natural salt-water marshes transformed them into captive water-bodies by cutting them off from the tidal creeks joining the ocean. Local traders converted some of these shallow wetlands by around 1930-s into fish farming ponds fed by wastewater after appropriate treatment. Since then these water-bodies have not only provided livelihood opportunities to several marginalized groups, it has helped to meet a bulk of the city’s fish requirement. The area has also developed into a unique ecosystem sheltering a wide variety of flora which acts as a green lung to the city. For the past couple of decades, however, land encroachment for real estate has threatened the biodiversity of this region. Further, the younger generation of the farming community has largely shifted to other professions, leading to a decline in the wastewater-fed fish farming activities. The paper thus attempts to evaluate the benefits of the wetlands vis-à-vis concerns like the possible uptake of harmful elements by the fish population. The benefits, nevertheless, are seen to outweigh the disadvantages and the EKW appears to emerge as a model for a low-cost, ecologically sustainable bio-treatment plant of wastewater in an era when low-energy, low-impact developments are being vigorously promoted to counter global warming and climate change adversities.

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Acknowledgements

We, authors, are thankful to the Environmental department of Government of West Bengal for provided the needful funds for field studies involved in this research.

Funding

Environmental department of Government of West Bengal for provided the needful funds for field studies involved in this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

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Nadella performed the field tests involved in the study and prepared all figures and tables presented in the review paper. And she was a major contributor in writing the manuscript. Sen suggested and modified the manuscript structure for better presentation. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Anusha Nadella.

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Appropriate permissions were taken from department of West Bengal Fisheries, Government of West Bengal, Kolkata, India, in order to collect the water samples from fishponds.

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All patients included in this study gave written informed consent to participate in this research.

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All patients included in this research gave written informed consent to publish the data and images contained within this case report.

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Nadella, A., Sen, D. Evolution of the Urban Wastewater Bio-treatment and Reuse System of East Kolkata Wetlands, India: an Appraisal. Wetlands 41, 107 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-021-01509-3

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