Register For A Walk And Learn About This Natural Wonder In The City

Rushing through our busy lives, we barely notice the blue-green expanse on the eastern side of the city that has quietly been helping Kolkata get rid of its filth and cleaning its air. 

Wish to know more about it? Then register for this guided tour of the wetlands that is being organized by Kolkata Explorers - Kolkata Walking, Heritage, City Tours on June 2 at 6:30 in the morning. Experience the wonder of nature and learn more about how the wetlands naturally purify the water drained out of the city. 

The tour will start from the PC Chandra Gardens (opposite Science City). You will be taken to the nearest points by car from where you can easily walk down to enjoy the beauty of the place and understand the natural ecosystem. What's more? You also get to go on a complimentary boat ride, if it's available that is!

You'll be taken to Bantala Lock Gate before you walk down huge water bodies where fishing takes place. Learn about how the sewage water gets automatically cleaned to make it fit for drinking. Then head to the bheris - Saheb Mara and Goltola - before enjoying a chit-chat session with the villagers about their daily life.

The East Kolkata Wetlands is the world’s largest natural and organic sewage management system, where the sewage is recycled for pisciculture and agriculture. It acts as a natural kidney and treats and reuses the waste water. The city does not have a single sewage treatment plant. 

The wetlands has remarkably sustained the ecological balance, made Kolkata an economically subsidized city with its efficient and eco-friendly use of the city waste, prevented it from flooding even when other states across the country fell prey to massive floods during the monsoons. 

The wetlands also boast of a rich variety of flora and fauna. Maintained by farmers and fishermen, they transform the city’s sewage into a rich harvest of fresh vegetables and tonnes of fish, thereby serving as a means of livelihood for the local community.

If you care for the environment and wish to know about this natural wonder that has been designated as a "wetland of international importance" under the Ramsar Convention, then you must go for this walk.