Activity – Multi stakeholder engagement
2024-2025
Multi-disciplinary awareness workshop
As a newly established cooperative, Jhagrasish Bhery in EKW was chosen as the first location for awareness and training of fish farmers by ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI). The workshop titled Conservation and Fish Culture in East Kolkata Wetlands, was led by Dr Basanta Kumar Das, Director, CIFRI, and taken forward by Dr Srikanta Samanta, the Principal Investigator of the EKW Research Project (funded by the Department of Environment, Government of West Bengal), and his colleagues Dr A.K Das, Dr S K Manna, Dr Lianthumluaia and multiple scholars associated with the research project.
SCOPE provided guidance in hosting the workshop, to both ICAR-CIFRI and Jhagrasish Bhery. It was on SCOPE’s advice that coconut saplings were procured and distributed among workshop attendees, and that was deeply appreciated. The attendees were trained regarding pond health management, and fish disease. They also placed before the scientists, the production challenges that they faced. Overall, it was agreed upon that the Bhery and the surrounding neighbourhood would work in close cooperation with, and guidance from, the scientific community.
2023-2024
- In search of Kancha Gheri Siphon
We had a whale of a time on the 25th of May 2024. It is a day we will all remember – we set out on a expedition to search for and measure the Kancha Gheri siphon, a water distribution mechanism which in EKW ensures sewage flow to Tardaha Kapasati Mouza (revenue village according to Census), the largest mouza among the wetland mouzas in South 24 Parganas part of East Kolkata Wetlands.
We had Bhola Mondal as our local guide from Kantatala village. We discovered to our delight that here was a double siphon in this place and the one that has now been defunct for a while can easily be repaired, so we decided to draw the attention of the relevant departments to this matter and ensure greater sewage availability for many farmers in Tardaha Kapasati Mouza.
2019-2020
- World Wetlands Day
Since 2019, we have been facilitating the celebration of World Wetlands Day in schools in the wetlands. In 2020, the Wetlands Day celebrations brought the Department of Environment, the rural local government namely the panchayat and the community in close contact, and there was exchange of views regarding the problems that needed to be addressed. This was followed up by action on work-plan for de-siltation of the various canals in EKW.
- De-silting of canals of the East Kolkata Wetlands
Since the conclusion of World Wetlands Day there was a new initiative to try and map the fishery feeding canals needing de-siltation (to maintain the ecological character of the area) and then after proper survey work, these canals would also be de-silted). Facilitation between the government departments (Environment department, Water Resources Investigation and Development Directorate – WRIDD) and members of the community was done by SCOPE in 2020.
2016-17
- Samajik Suraksha Yojana
This was a Social Security Scheme under the Department of Labour in 2017. SCOPE coordinated with the Department and the wastepickers at Dhapa to reach them information about what they are entitled to receive under the scheme. However, since the format of application changed to online mode, not much could be taken forward thereafter. This work needs to be followed up.