Dynamics of Urban Development and Wetland Management in East Kolkata Wetlands

Abstract

Kolkata the seventh largest metropolis in India as per the 2011 census, evolved without a planned sewage disposal system with waste being dumped into the river or into adjacent saltwater and brackish wetlands. The East Kolkata Wetlands which is considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems and serve as the natural water purification system for the city is being threatened due to mismanagement of the processes to conserve it. Developmental planning has failed to take into cognizance the role played by these systems. Considered as the low priority areas, solid waste management has never been taken up seriously either by the public or by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation till recently when the large amount of waste is threatening our health, environment and well being. Though crucial, planning has recognized only the provisioning services of the wetland and to a smaller extent its capacity to regulate wastes, at the same time ignoring other services as flood attenuation, and support to biodiversity. Emphasis has been on engineering measures for quick economic gains at the cost of ecological sustainability. The lack of basic understanding of the nature of wetland ecosystem has led to overall loss of benefits accrued from the wetland through natural processes and functions. It is high time to learn from the lessons delivered. The present paper is an attempt to assess the linkages of the city of Kolkata vis-a-vis the management of East Kolkata Wetlands and the role of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation in sustaining and restoring the wetland.