Women come to mangrove rescue in the Sundarbans

In the remotest part of the Indian Sundarbans, the southeast point of the human habitat, Chargheri is witnessing a women’s army planting mangroves to shield itself from climate disasters. Originally a tiny village of fishermen, the hamlet presents its natives with plenty of challenges for survival, with climate change being the hardest. 

Broken embankments from climate-change-induced cyclones bring forth issues like degraded agricultural fields, migration, and loss of livelihood. Umashankar Mondal, a geography teacher and a local of Chargheri, also known as ‘mangrove man’ understood the necessity of a mangrove plantation as a countermeasure. 

He noticed mangroves near the embankments create a natural barrier for high-speed wind during cyclones. It also protects the clay from getting washed out during high tides due to their roots attaching to the soil while providing a breeding ground for the fish which helps sustain the livelihoods of the fishermen. 

Thus he created an army of local women who started planting mangroves in the nearby river bar with 8.37 lakh mangroves having already been planted from its inception in 2009. Composed of almost 500 women members, distributed over several nearby islands, the team works tirelessly throughout the year to increase the mangrove cover.

Climate disasters of Sundarban

In the last decade, the Sundarbans have faced unprecedented climate-change catastrophes with long-standing aftereffects. As the global temperature increases, sea warming has also increased considerably. A warmer Bay of Bengal means more frequent and intensified cyclones forming and hitting the Sundarbans delta repeatedly. 

The growing cyclone list made of Aila in 2009, Phani and Bulbul in 2019, Amphan in 2020, Yass in 2021 and Remal in 2024 inflict damage on the delta in numerous ways. The Sundarbans consist of almost 3000km long clay embankments, which are crucial for human settlements but are highly susceptible to cyclones and tidal waves. 

As the low-lying delta is considerably lower than the mean sea level, the river water often reaches 3-4m high, smashing the barrier during cyclones. The saline water from the river through broken embankments enters into the agricultural fields degrading the high-yielding soil for the next 3-4 years and farmers have no option but to adopt an alternative livelihood. As the population goes under economic distress, severe socio-economic issues such as human trafficking, child marriage, migration, and poverty start to crop up in a prosperous society.

One of the more modern solutions is to build concrete embankments but the execution is plagued with corruption and substandard work. Additionally, the concrete embankments are highly costly to build for which the state often cites reasons that they have no funds to spare. 

Furthermore, experts argue that concrete levees may not fully prevent erosion in the long run, making them unsuitable for the landscape. Thus embankments are the most important and necessary tool in the lives of the delta, but due to rampant corruption and lack of proper vision, the shield suffers from irreversible damage and causes great distress as a consequence.

Mangrove to the rescue

Sundarbans is also home to the world’s largest mangrove forest. Mangroves are a species of trees that can survive high salinity and partial submersion for hours. They are highly evolved to survive and thrive in the tidal landscape of the Sundarbans. 

The mangrove army plants trees to create a buffer between the river and the clay embankments. The seeds consist of Hetal (Phoenix Paludosa), Keora (Sonneratia Apetala) and Goran (Ceriops Tagal) to name a few species. 

The women collect the seeds and create a seedbed where they can be matured and planted in various places throughout the monsoon as survival rates are very high during this time. The women look after the mangroves and protect them from cattle until they are ready to be planted.

 Although some claim that the mangrove forest can regenerate on its own, Prof Asish Kumar Paul of Vidyasagar University’s geography department believes there are many benefits to the mangrove plantation drives. He says that the mangrove degradation rate is very high in the Sundarbans. As sea levels rise, the mangroves in the south are being destroyed by erosion and the advancing sea. 

The rising salinity is also plaguing the mangroves with various diseases. On top of that, the mangroves are being cut down at an alarming rate to create fisheries that are highly profitable for their export potential. 

Therefore social forestry initiatives like these should be encouraged to create equilibrium in the environment. Mondal adds that the planting of mangroves is not only about creating a buffer between the hungry river and human settlements but also an awareness campaign among the islanders. As the mangroves are being destroyed for profit, a program like this can send the right message to the public. 

The lead image shows women of the mangrove army planting mangrove trees in the Sundarbans.

Sudip Maiti is an independent photographer and filmmaker based out of Kolkata. He is the winner of Chennai Photo Biennale 2023.