Mukti Organized Seminar On the Burning Issue of Sundarban On 75th Independence Day

Mukti, on 15^th August 2021, while celebrating the 75^th Independence Day, organized a discussion session on climate-resilient, river embankment, agriculture and housing at Raidighi B. Ed College Hall in Sundarban for finding out an everlasting solution from the bite of regular natural calamities on the age of global warming. The program started at 3:30 PM and continued till 5:30 PM. 200 people from different parts of Sundarban participated in the discussion session.

Mr. Alok Jaldata, MLA of Raidighi Assembly, Mr. Chandan Maity, Head Master of Krishnachandrapur Higher Secondary School, Mr. Srimanta Kumar Mandal, Chief Editor of Mukti Newsletter, Mukti Barta and environmental worker, Mr. Sasabindu Jana,.Principal of Raidighi College, Mr. Jaybhusan Bhandari, Co-President of Mathurapur Block II Panchayat Samiti, Mr. Partha Dey, representative of AID and Climatologist, and Mr. Madhusudan Bairagi, Ex Central Bank Manager Ex-Secretary of Mukti and Mr. Sankar Halder the President and Founder of Mukti enriched the meeting with their invaluable speeches.

The seminar started by lighting lamps and by observing a minute of silence in memory of the martyrs.

The overall discussion was on:

The main problem of Sundarban is the fragile or week river embankments breaking anytime, either at the time of natural calamities or high tidal period. River embankment damaged means agriculture, land, housing and economical structure of the villagers are totally damaged. If we want to protect the Sundarban coastal area and islands then the slit must be removed from the river bed or the river sandy lands for filling the deep broken embankments spots and repairing the embankments also. It should be done from October to March.

The embankments of the Sundarbans protect the islands where people live and are vital to their safety and livelihoods. When an embankment is breached, saline water enters farmland and food grains can no longer be grown.

To protect these earthen embankments some measures need to be taken:

1. To prevent river erosion, the river must be limited in its course.
2. Lots of mangroves have to be planted and they have to be saved.
3. Illegal fisheries cannot be allowed to be created.
4. Above all, we need to increase people’s awareness.

 

Agriculture is the main economic activity in Sundarban to sustain the basic livelihood of rural people. In recent decades, the nature of agriculture mainly cropping patterns, crop productivity, and agricultural land use is gradually changing because of the frequent occurrence of climatic extremes over the Bay of Bengal which has been directly or indirectly affecting the agricultural system of the delta. The saucer-shaped appearance of the island causes massive drainage congestion induced water logging problems in the agricultural field. Waterlogging causes crop damage and low productivity. Farmers continue to face substantial monetary loss and entrapping in poverty.

To overcome these issues, climate-resilient cropping strategy (salt-tolerant paddy), proper maintenance of the drainage system and adaptation of modern land reshaping techniques for diversified agriculture systems are urgently needed for the profound agro-based economic future of the delta.

 

A house to live in is a basic need of every human. Every year thousands of houses are submerged in the floods caused by cyclones. The cost of rebuilding the house increases a lot. To solve this problem and to make the houses more durable, resistant to natural disasters and comfortable to live in Mukti, with “Blue Planet” constructed 3 such “Mukti Purpose Cyclone Shelter” (MPCS) in Mukti Gram. The villagers who will be interested to build this kind of house Mukti, will help them.

At the end of the program and Mr. Sankar Halder, the President and Founder of Mukti thanked all the guests and audience for attending the seminar. Mukti hopes that the seminar will help to raise people’s awareness. He ended the program with a promise to organize more such seminars like this in the future for the betterment of the Sundarbans.