[dropcap]A[/dropcap]cross Planet Earth, different groups of people will be observing World Environment Day, today, but the demand of the times is for every individual to contribute to this day in whatever measure he or she can. The urgency to think ‘green’ and ‘live’ green is no longer a fashionable statement. It has become a necessity. Today issues related to the environment have sobering impacts on how the future of human life on this planet is headed to. Rich nations and poor nations cannot afford to be disconnected on this one major area. Every action that individuals decide upon collectively impacts a life somewhere on this planet, and this action comes back to affect the individual collectively, that is us the ‘human race’.
It is in this context that the theme for World Environment 2014 “Raise your Voice … Not the Sea Level” must be empathetically examined. There is no doubt that life on this planet is intrinsically linked with nature and humans with one another. If in the mountains we are faced with more frequent landslips and flashfloods and also see our springs and rivers die … the plains too are not spared from the fury of nature. And as much humans who inhabit islands in the open seas, some which are disappearing and creating what we term “climate refugees”.“Indian Sundarbans Delta: A Vision”, a report prepared by the School of Oceanographic Studies of Jadavpur University with World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), estimates that nearly one million people would become climate change refugees by the year 2050. The report suggests a planned retreat from vulnerable areas and planting of mangroves in those areas. Another report independently conducted by School of Oceanographic Studies had estimated that 15 per cent of Sunderbans would sink by 2020. Besides Ghoramara, other islands such as Mousuni, and even bigger ones like Sagar may disappear.
Talking to The Hindu, Anurag Danda, head climate change and adaptation, WWF India, said despite the development and the growth dialogue raging on, the issue of displacement because of accelerated erosion in the Sunderbans had not got any attention during the polls. Referring to a fifth assessment report of working group II of Inter-governmental panel of climate change, Mr. Danda said in the next 50 years Kolkata would become most vulnerable city to climate change in Asia.
That should be food for thought.
Another case in example close to home are inhabitants of the Ghoromora island in the Sunderbans in the Bay of Bengal.
As reports go the Lok Sabha elections this year could well be the last one for the voters on Ghoramara island in Sunderbans archipelago as the rising sea level owing to climate change threatens his mud house located on the river bank.
The Hindu on May 10 reported that Sankar Sahu a villager expressed his fears that in another yaer’s time his house would be lost underwater.’ Mr. Sahu (37), had shifted his house three times over the last few decades’ says the report.
Futher hundreds have left the island to seek shelter elsewhere as refugees.
Ghoramara, an island at the confluence of river Hooghly and Bay of Bengal in the State’s South 24 Parganas district with a population of about 5,000, is spread over 5,000 bighas of land. (Three bighas is equal to one acre)
There is no electricity on the island and solar panels are fitted on the top of nearly every kutcha house here. A few trips by a motorised boat is the only means of transport here and 60 per cent of child births here are at home. Despite school and other infrastructure facilities, barring a few, most government officials are not keen on working on the island.
Sanjib Sagar, pradhan of Ghoramara Gram Panchayat, told The Hindu -“The area of the island was about 22,000 bighas, and now it is reduced to 5,000 bighas. Many families from here have taken shelter on Sagar (another Island),”
Climate change and the rising sea level, frequent storms threaten not only Ghoramara but also the entire Sunderbans that is spread across Mathurapur and Joynagar constituencies in the South 24 Parganas district and Basirhat in North 24 Parganas. Very little too has been done after cyclone Aila hit the Sunderbans in May 2009 and left lakhs of people displaced there, he added.
Picture the thousands and lakhs of people looking for land to live … like water which fills up wherever there is vacuum, likewise people migrate to areas where there is land.
The time has come for humanity to revisit the wisdom of ‘need and not greed’ to be the guiding principle of our lifestyles. When we do so individually, the collective force is what will safeguard the earth and life on earth.
