Pollution and strong-arm land grabs are putting a lifeline for the megacity’s 14 million residents at risk. Read more at straitstimes.com.
KOLKATA - Wetlands just outside India’s Kolkata have for generations provided tonnes of food daily and thousands of jobs as they filter sewage through fish ponds – but rapid urbanisation is threatening the ecosystem.
Listed as a wetland of global importance under the United Nations Ramsar convention, the waters offer natural climate control by cooling sweltering temperatures and act as valuable flood defences for low-lying Kolkata. Once the fish have had their fill, the water run-off irrigates surrounding rice paddies and the remaining organic waste fertilises vegetable fields.
The wetlands system processes about 60 per cent of Kolkata’s sewage free of charge, saving the city over US$64 million a year, according to a 2017 University of Calcutta study. “This city never faced any flooding issue,” Mr Balamurugan added. “These wetlands are acting as a natural sponge, taking the excess rainwater.”
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