Shiv Sahay Singh Express India 14 Jul 10;
Kolkata With rising sea level, about 15 per cent of the Sunderbans islands is likely to be submerged by 2020, thereby leaving 70,000 islanders stranded as environmental refugees, says a state human development report on South 24 Parganas district.
Prepared by the Development and Planning department with technical support of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the report warns that neglecting the Sunderbans Delta can have significant implications on global climate.
Referring to the research of the School of Ocenographic Studies of Jadavpur University, the report states that along the eastern coast of India, sea level is rising at a rate of 3.14 mm per year and this poses a threat to the Sunderban Delta.
“The problem in Sunderbans is that livelihood options are very limited. Irrigation cannot be developed here because of non-availability of sweet water. On the other hand, the effective population density is very high (only 54 of the 102 islands are inhabited and most of the people are settlers) and there is acute pressure on resources,” said Professor Sukanta Bhattacharya , professor of economics in University of Calcutta, who was one of the key persons involved in the compilation of the report.
The report refers to Ghoramara Island as a case of ‘sinking islands’. “Nearly 20 years ago, the island had a population of about 20,000. According to the 2001 Census, it now holds only 5,236 people. Experts say that Ghoramara was reduced to 59 per cent of its 1969 size and it (the island) will be submerged in another 14 years,” the report points out.
Environmentalists, meanwhile, suggest that the Sunderbans need to be handled with caution. “Extra care has to be given to the area. Agriculture and animal husbandry have to be improved to create more livelihood options to save the deltas and stop the exodus of people,” says Tushar Kanjilal, environmentalist and social worker studying the Sunderbans for over 40 years.
