Rohit Shaw
BSc Geography (Hons.), 3rd year, Presidency University, Kolkata, West Bengal
East Kolkata wetlands are complex ecosystems. They serve as a flood control as well as a wastewater treatment zone at virtually no cost. These wetlands are also the only reason the prices of vegetables and fishes are among the lowest in India. Most of the city-dwellers are oblivious to the benefits that these wetlands provide.
However, these wetlands have also not been able to dodge the effects of one of the most pressing problems which India is facing: growing population. The increasing population of the city and the surrounding area has put tremendous pressure on the wetlands. As a result, in the last 12 years, about 53% of the wetlands have been lost to construction activities.
I have studied these changes through three indices:
- Normalized difference built-up index (NDBI).
- Soil adjusted vegetation index(SAVI).
- Normalized difference water index (NDWI).
I applied these indices on the LANDSAT images of 1987, 1997, 2007, and 2017 to study the tri-decadal change. My study shows that if these wetlands are not saved from land grabbers and illegal real estate workers, five years from now a 48-hour torrential downpour in the city will lead to the flooding of the city with sewage water.
No responses yet