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Society
Climate is Changing, But Mumbai is Not
by
Surekha Kadapa-Bose
Usha Mahto, 30,
accompanied her farmer husband to Mumbai from Begusarai in Bihar five
years ago, unable to eke out a livelihood from the family's
one-and-a-half acre, which fed three families of the Mahtos. In the big
city the husband-wife duo earn a decent living collecting old
newspapers, making 'papad' in a neighborhood factory and
working as domestic help. Monetarily they now fare far better than their
counterparts in Begusarai.
But like the many others that come to the city from states such as
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, the Mahtos live in
a shanty home on the banks of Dahisar creek, off Borivali, a suburb in
Mumbai, which they have to abandon during the monsoons. "Every monsoon
we go back to our native place as water gushes into our homes and
destroys everything in its way," says Usha.
Why does the seawater enter these homes every year displacing thousands
of people? Why has the administration not been able to do anything about
it? It's high time Mumbai responded to the crisis of global warming that
is advancing towards its shores at an alarming rate, bringing with it an
erratic and heavy monsoon, dangerously rising sea levels and disastrous
landslides.
In fact, just recently, Mumbai received about 144 mm of rain in 24
hours, causing a portion of a rocky hill to slide down on hutments at
the Lal Bahadur Shastri Nagar in Saki Naka, a suburb. Ten people lost
their lives in the mishap. This was the third time a landslide has
occurred in the area - populated with migrants and unskilled laborers -
in the last 10 years.
"Mumbai is one of the most vulnerable cities to be affected by global
warming due to its high-density population," says Vinuta Gopal, Program
Manager, Greenpeace India Climate and Energy campaign. "It has several
low-lying areas with huge populations. Even with a slight rise in the
sea levels, the city will face havoc, causing not only economic losses
but also damaging the lives of people residing in these areas," she
adds.
According to a research paper published in April 2009, by the World Bank
Development Research Group Environment and Energy team, in the coming
years the ongoing global climate change will have a serious impact on
some coastal countries and important coastal cities. In the South Asian
zone India and Bangladesh have been listed in the "very vulnerable"
section, especially cities of Mumbai and Thane in Maharashtra and
Bhavnagar and Vadodara in Gujarat.
Climate change is no longer just a doomsday theory but an acknowledged
reality. By the turn of this century, global temperatures are expected
to rise by nearly 2.5 to 4 degrees Celsius. This will lead to further
change in monsoon pattern, erosion of coastal region and damage to
livelihoods. According to Dr K. Krishna Kumar, FASc, Program Manager for
Climate Dynamics & Climate Change of Indian Institute of Tropical
Meteorology, Pune, "Under global warming conditions, extremes in
rainfall and temperatures are expected to increase. These can cause
hardship to everyone especially women, as it is they who have to look
after the family needs during any calamity."
Mumbai, as the financial capital of the country and home to the world
largest cinema industry, attracts people from all over the country and
is likely to bear the brunt of the phenomena. "Based on published
literature, the sea level at Mumbai is rising at a rate of 1.2 mm per
year during this century. It is within the ballpark figures of reported
global sea level rise," informs Dr Kumar.
According to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), sea
level in 2100 A.D. will be about 40 cms higher than what it is at
present. Even at this most conservative scenario, nearly 6,000 sq.
kilometers in India alone will be flooded, including parts of Mumbai.
Many areas in the city come under LECZ (Low Elevation Coastal Zone),
which comprises the region that is less than 10 meters above the average
sea level. Reclamation of marshy land for property development in places
like Worli, Bandra-Kurla complex and the metropolis's extended suburbs
is already making life miserable during the monsoons when a downpour can
bring the city to a halt, submerging roads and residential localities
alike.
"Mumbai faces profound consequences of climate change... the extent of
vulnerability is dependent not only on the physical exposure to sea
level rise and population affected, but on the extent of economic
activity and coping capacities," states Dr Sanjay Tomar, Fellow, Climate
Change Division, The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi.
Much before Mumbai became the business hub of India, it was home to the
'kolis' (fisher folk), the original residents of the city.
Fisher folk colonies or 'koliwadas' still dot areas like Vasai,
Versova, Mahim, Worli and Cuffe Parade. It's from these 'koliwadas' that
the kolis reach the high seas with their huge wooden boats or trawlers
for their catch of bangda, surmai, pomphret and other varieties
of fish. Over the years, this community of fisher folk have been greatly
affected by the changing weather patterns.
"We have developed a sixth sense to predict the ferocity of monsoon and
the level of high tides. So, our fishermen normally move beyond that
line of high tide. But we are also finding that our sea creeks, like the
Versova creek, are getting narrower due to reclamation activity in other
areas. Squeezed out, the water has to find an outlet, affecting our
community living and working in the coastal zone," explains Dr Gajendra
Kisan Bhanji, Chairman, National Association of Fishermen.
This has also led to livelihood changes. Though the Bhanjis are 'kolis'
they have forsaken their traditional livelihood to become doctors. Says
Dr Gajendra Bhanji, who is in his mid-sixties and is a chest physician,
"The catch has dwindled now so much that the majority of the next
generation in our community is opting for white-collar jobs. Also,
earlier, during the monsoon and high tides, there used to be a huge
catch of all varieties of fish. Today, we see less of fish and more of
cars, scooters and cycles being washed on to our shores!"
Talking about the economic difficulties being faced by her community,
Irene Machado, who is in her early 50's, observes, "Koli women were once
famous for possessing gold ornaments. Now we buy artificial gold jewelry
as our men are unable to bring enough fish loads to lead comfortable
lives."
As they are directly affected by climate change, fisher folk need to be
prepared for the bad times ahead. Advises Dr Tomar, "They need to be
made aware about the potential impacts of rising sea level particularly
on human lives, livelihood and property. Secondly, they should be made
to understand how important it is to be prepared to face such
situations. These communities, especially the women, should resort to
savings schemes and insurance schemes to guard against any financial
shocks in case of any unforeseen event."
According to John Holmes, UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian
Affairs, the world is going to see more intense disasters as a result of
climate change. He recently warned, "The risks of mega-disasters in some
of these mega-cities are rising all the time." Mumbai is one such
megacity.
Clearly there is a need to arrest the rapid degeneration of the
environment. What is required is concerted, timely and effective action.
"Our advice to the government and people is to switch to renewable
energy like solar and wind energy. Greenhouse emission can be reduced
considerably by stopping the usage of thermal power," urges Vinuta Gopal.
September 12, 2009
Image under license with Gettyimages.com
By arrangement with
WFS
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