Schoolchildren walked through the East Calcutta Wetlands on Friday, dressed up as wetland species and mimicking their calls and actions to commemorate World Wetlands Day.
The Wetlands Day celebrations date back to 1971 when the Ramsar convention was signed in the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the shores of the Caspian Sea, on February 2, 1971.
Since then environmentalists have been gathering on this day to reaffirm the protection of wetlands, which are water ecosystems containing plant life and other organisms that bring ecological health in abundance not just to water bodies but the environment as a whole.
Students dressed up as various species found in the wetlands take part in a programme to mark World Wetlands Day. The Telegraph
The theme of WWD-2024 was “Wetlands and Human Wellbeing”, which underscored the critical role wetlands play in enhancing human lives. It highlights how wetlands contribute to flood prevention, provide clean water and help sustain biodiversity and recreational opportunities, all of which are essential for human health and prosperity. At the East Calcutta Wetlands, 250 children from 11 schools participated in the Wetlands Day celebrations organised by an NGO working in the field, Disappearing Dialogues Collective.
Some of the participating schools were from the wetlands area such as Bamanghata High School, Kheyada High School and Chowbhaga High School. Students also came from The Heritage School, Calcutta International School and Future Hope to join the walk.
Children are wetlands ambassadors, said Nabina Gupta of Disappearing Dialogues Collective. The walk started from the Bamanghata bridge and went into the interiors of the wetlands. On the way, children from the Bamanghata and Kheyada schools, dressed as various species found in the wetlands, mimicked their calls and actions.
Children from The Heritage and Calcutta International schools walked with placards that had slogans on them raising awareness about the need to preserve the wetlands and their unique ecosystem.
Members of the Bird Watchers’ Society put up standing scopes to spot kingfishers, egrets, cormorants and other bird species of the wetlands. There were biology specialists to identify the different plants and trees that are found in the area.
Former Hidco chief Debasish Sen participated in the walk along with headmasters of local schools, panchayat members and others. “A dialogue was held between different stakeholders to stress the urgency to preserve the wetlands,” said Gupta.
Former Hidco chief Debashis Sen (extreme right) takes part in the wetlands walk on Friday. The Telegraph
At the end of the walk, schoolchildren performed skits and street plays to highlight the crucial role played by wetlands.
“Children from different schools filled the gap between the periphery and the city. There is a symbiotic relation between the periphery and the city and each of them contributes to the preservation of this unique ecology,” said Gupta.
However, despite rules and legislation, the degradation of the Ramsar-protected East Calcutta Wetlands continues. Water bodies get rampantly filled and plastics choke the water channels, threatening many species.
At the Indian Botanic Garden in Howrah’s Shibpur, specially-abled children from Ananda Bhawan Deaf and Blind School from Howrah participated in the World Wetlands Day programme.