Conserving the wetlands in India - the Krouncha way!

Interview of Dr. Gopi Sundar

Kolla S Gopi Sundar has seen more number of Sarus cranes than most of us. At a young age of 29 years, he spends his time trying to save cranes and their habitats all across south Asia working with governments, NGOs, scientists, naturalists and anyone else who cares.

Gopi Sundar, a Bangalorean and a product of St Joseph's College of Arts and Science, is presently the Principal Coordinator of the Indian Cranes and Wetlands Working Group (ICWWG) and a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Crane Specialist Group (CSG).

Gopi Sundar, a role model for conservationists, was in Bangalore recently. He spoke to Deccan Herald about the status of cranes in India and the efforts to use the Sarus Crane as a flagship species for conservation of wetlands in north India.

How did you get interested in crane conservation?
I was into adventure activities such as mountaineering when I was young. Later, I learnt about the Birdwatchers Field Club of Bangalore where I picked up the art of closely observing birds and the joys of making notes. I used to participate in the waterfowl census in Bangalore. After my MSc in ecology I worked as a research fellow at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, studying the impact of land use pattern changes on the habitat and ecology of the Sarus Crane (Grus antigone) in the Indo-Gangetic flood plains along with Mr B C Choudhary, a senior scientist with the WII. On my first visit to the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in 1998 with B C, I met Dr George Archibald, co-founder of the International Crane Foundation (ICF) and chairman IUCN-CSG, who was there to watch the Siberian Cranes with a group if people from ICF. After a couple of years we decided to restart the then defunct working group to save the cranes in Asia. In mid 2003 George invited me to visit the ICF for six months to write on Sarus Cranes and learn how to manage an enterprise like the ICWWG.

What are the different Crane species found in India?
Four of the eight cranes of the world are found in India. They are the Demoiselle cranes, Sarus cranes, Common cranes and Blacknecked cranes.

The Siberian Cranes were the most famous and the fifth species of crane that was found in India and is extinct in the country since 2002. Except for the Sarus cranes, the rest of them are not resident birds but migrate from other countries to India. Cranes are considered sacred and so are not killed.

Comment on the use of Sarus cranes as flagship species
The Sarus crane is called Krouncha in Sanskrit. Of the estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Sarus cranes in India, a major chunk, about 3,000 are found in Etawah and Mainipuri districts of Uttar Pradesh. Since their survival is dependent on the survival of wetlands, and they are widely revered for their pair-bond, they can be ideal flagship species for wetland conservation in India.

Highlight the role of ICWWG in crane conservation
The Indian cranes and Wetlands Working Group (ICWWG) was started in December 2002 as an independent project of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, Delhi and supported by the International Crane Foundation. We want to initially start building a database on cranes across India and eventually Asia and implement conservation projects involving different countries, since these birds are migratory.

As a starter, we will shortly organise a coordinated crane and large water birds count in India, which will be a continuance of the count organised by BC and WII from 1999-2001. We also want to network with groups working with cranes and wetland conservation to minimise repetition of work and ensure proper dissemination of information. Finally, we will work towards implementing recommendations of research projects by working with the government, which is the crucial part of a conservation programme.

The scene in Karnataka?
Information on cranes in Karnataka is lacking. Tank-based irrigation in South India do not support these birds because they need shallow waters. Only the Demoiselle crane is known to frequent some of the wetlands in Belgaum and have been seen flying over in Coorg.

Some common cranes are also very infrequent here. We are hoping to liason with the State Forest Departments and many NGOs in the state to document the status and habits of these birds.

The latest in crane conservation?
The International Crane Foundation in Wisconsin, USA is the only place in the world where there are captive breeding facilities for all the 15 species of cranes of the world. An interesting experiment is underway to teach captive bred Whooping Cranes to migrate from Wisconsin to Florida using ultralight aircrafts. Cranes are preocial birds meaning young imprint on birth. Whatever object they first see after they hatch out is considered as the parent.

From a hatchling stage they are habituated to the sight and the humming sound of the aircrafts. The pilots wear a crane like costume to ensure that young birds are not imprinted on humans. The birds are trained to follow these ultralights. Out of the three flocks trained, two of them migrated back and forth between these places indicating that the project is partially successful in restoring the migration route which had become extinct. The real success will be when the reintroduced birds begin to breed in the wild.

This appeared in Deccan Herald Newspaper on 24th March, 2004

Wetlands or Wastelands

The alarming rate of the levels of pollution and the contamination of water have made fresh water a scarce commodity these days. Last fortnight 40 water fowls including migratory ducks such as Shovellers and Garganeys died due to suspected water contamination in Lingabudhi tank in Mysore. About a month back, a major foaming incident occurred in Bellandur tank, which attracts thousands of birds every year. A few years ago a sewer pipeline breakage at the Sankey tank led to the death of many varieties of fish. Incidents such as these are becoming more frequent. It is high time we gave a serious thought to our wetlands.

A wetland simply means any land that is submerged under water for at least a part of the year. This term takes into account diverse habitats including lakes, rivers, floodplains, mangrove swamps, salt marshes and aritficial ones such as tanks. Wetlands have various uses including being reservoirs of water. Even the early signs of human civilisation are traced to wetlands where water from wetlands were used for drinking and irrigation purposes. This continues even today. Wetlands also help in recharging the groundwater and influencing the micro-climate.

"A wetland is not just another swimming pool or a tub of water. It is a living system supporting a variety of life-forms", says Dr. M B Krishna of the Birdwatchers Field Club of Bangalore. The most attractive life-forms talked about are the birds. Some of the wetlands of Bangalore and elsewhere support thousands of birds during winter including migratory ones.

"Apart from birds, they also support other varieties such as frogs and insects like dragonflies exclusively dependent on waterbodies for completion of their life-cycle. We need to look at them more as wildlife habitats having a variety of plants and animals rather than mere water reservoirs," points out S Karthikeyan of WWF-India.

Sadly, instead of using wetlands for imparting education of wildlife and on water resources,. they are more commonly used for recreation such as boating. Boating was introduced in Lalbagh tank thrice and each time expert committees have found that boating affects migratory birds. It was discontinues only to be revived later, adds Dr Krishna.

The tanks around Bangalore and elsewhere in the State originally were constructed mainly for harvesting rainwater for irrigation and drinking water supply by impounding the monsoon run-off in the valleys. Rapid industrialisatio and urbanisation in the recent ears have undoubtedly affected lakes and tanks in the city. In Bangalore and the surrounding region most of the effects of pollution irrespective of their origin generally end up in wetlands turning them into cess pools.

In spite of harbouring wildlife and holding a life-supporting resource such as water, wetlands are not given their due. They are instead used for dumping garbage, construction materials, discharges of sewage and industrial effluents. Wetlands are increasingly drained and converted into housing sites, stadium and commercial complexes. A recent study conducted by the Indian Institute of Science shows that Bangalore has lost about 35 per cent of its wetlands over a period of 25 years. Of the remaining ones about 40 per cent of them are polluted by sewage.

"A policy of assessing the environmental impacts of any city expansion plan by the BDA should be done in order to prevent wetlands from being converted into sites and used for discharging sewage. The town planners should be made aware of the concept of proper land-use planning and the importance of wetlands". says a senior official from the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Our current approaches and the laws of control pollution are outdated. "We should be allowed into a water body only after assessing whether the receiving water body can take the amount of pollutants. If it cannot, then don't pollute the water body, even if the pollutant adheres to the current standard set under law", says Dr. K Lenin Baby of the Centre for Environmental Education Research and Advocacy (CEERA) of the National Law School of India Unversity. "The fine for polluters are nominal now. The costs of restoration and rehabilitation of the water body to its original state should be recovered from the polluters", adds Dr Lenin Babu.

The Centre and the State government do not have a policy for conservation of wetlands although India is a signatory to the 1971 Ramsar convention on Wetlands of International Importance. This makes India obligatory to protect, improve and conserve at least some of its important wetlands. But for some wetlands nothing is done for the rest.

Proposals for framing a wetland policy by the Centre has been there for almost a decade. Until a wetland policy emerges and agencies begin to at, polluted waterbodies with dead birds, wetlands choked with garbage and construction debris will be a common sight.

This article appeared in Deccan Herald Newspaper on 29th December, 2000

Armed with Life Skills

Teaching in India is a monologue where the participation of the student is rarely expected. Then, there is the school curriculum which does not prepare students to solve problems such as changing a tubelight or fixing a leaky tap or even taking accurate measurements, all situations one encounters at some point or the other.

But, this is not true of the 150 high school students of Sri Someshwara School in Dombaranahalli village. These students of Tumkur district’s Turuvekere taluk can easily carry out tasks like laying a water line or installing an electric wiring for a home or even preparing sweets. These students are good at masonry as well. They have built a room for themselves and have also volunteered to repair the roof tiles of the local bus stand.

They have also raised a nursery for areca plants, which are eventually sold. The school has been able to transform archaic classroom teaching into a fun exercise, at the same time equipping rural students with skills to take on the world.

“We started this Introduction to Basic Technology (IBT) programme about five years ago. Some of us were trained in these concepts at the Vigyan Ashram which was started by Kalbagh in Pune. Three teachers from the school spent time at the Ashram and learnt various skills and teaching methodologies. Most of the students in our school come from economically poor backgrounds and we wanted to provide them with life skills in case they discontinue their studies after their tenth standard,” says Ratnamma, Headmistress of the school.

One day every week, either a Friday or a Saturday, is devoted to learning these skills.
These are categorised into four themes – ‘Home and Health’ (students learn how to prepare sweets, finding out blood groups, sewing, knitting, etc), ‘Energy and Environment ‘(students learn how to raise a nursery, plant grafting techniques, surveying the land, building checkdams, repairing electrical appliances such as an iron box, earthing technique, coil winding of motors, drawing electric lines, changing switch holders, bulbs and basic soldering), ‘Workshop’ (masonry work, repairing tiled roofs, building concrete slabs, walls, basic carpentry work including making chairs and tables), ‘Agriculture and Animal Husbandry’ (measuring weight of livestock, testing soil, vermicomposting, sowing, drip irrigation, cutting grass, etc ).

Vijaykumar who is the co-ordinator of these classes says “extreme care is taken to teach them about safety techniques. For example, the students make it a point to switch off the mains whenever they are changing bulbs or drawing a new electric wire.” Vijaykumar proudly says that some of the students who could not afford to study after their tenth standard have become entrepreneurs.

The students also feel empowered and are able to tackle some of the problems that they encounter at their homes without having to rely on a technician to repair it, thereby saving money.

Some of the students who have gone on to take up their diploma in technical courses, are more confident in their studies. The initial training has helped them hone their skills.

Good pass percentage
However, devoting time for these skills has not come in the way of regular textbook learning. In fact, the school has consistently been getting a pass percentage of more than 80 per cent in the tenth standard examinations, even securing 98 per cent pass percentage in a particular year. Vijaykumar attributes this to their method of teaching.

Ratnamma acknowledges the immense support and funding that the school has received from the Yuva Foundation, Bangalore for the first three years of the programme and Sumathi of RK Foundation.

“From the last one year, an organisation called Lending A Helping Hand has been footing the costs of the materials and consumables needed for the training. Every month, it costs approximately Rs 8,000 only for the materials needed to run these classes. Two trained teachers at the school conduct these classes for free while there are two external trainers who have to be paid every month. But this year, their funding has almost stopped.

The school cannot raise funds from tuition fees as they charge a paltry sum of Rs 250 annually from students as fees (which include admission and monthly fees). Even this is met with great difficulty by their parents. If we raise this any higher, we will only see drop outs,” Ratnamma points out. Such hurdles notwithstanding, the school continues to prepare students to take on life with enthusiasm.

Green Focus

Capturing rare species on camera
K Puttaraju is unlike other officers serving at the Kaiga Nuclear Power plant near Karwar. Though he is a specialist in information science and works as a scientific officer, his passion is wildlife and conservation.

Because the nuclear power plant is situated in the dense forests of the Western Ghats, the zone around it is rich in wildlife. Puttaraju has spent several years documenting this pristine habitat on his own. He first got interested in nature when he was in the seventh standard and happened to stay on the banks of the Tunga river attending a Veda Patha Shale. “The natural beauty of the place captured my imagination and from then I started to appreciate nature more,” he says.

Among the lifeforms he has documented include the rare and threatened species such as the Malabar Giant Squirrel, Giant Pied Hornbills, tiger, flying lizards etc.

He has listed almost 300 species of butterflies and photographed many of them including the world’s tiniest grass butterfly to the largest birdwing. Puttaraju takes a deep interest in raising awareness about wildlife and its conservation. He is not only actively engaged in collecting baseline data on birds, insects and plants, but also accompanies visitors and officers into the forests to enhance their levels of appreciation.

He believes that it is important to educate young minds as they can take up larger conservation causes later. Puttaraju also visits schools and villages in and around the nuclear power plant to talk to them about conservation and training them in identifying wildlife.

He also conducts several wildlife photography exhibitions in schools. Apart from being a mountaineer, he also serves as vice-president of the Anshi Naturalist Society. Puttaraju points out that monitoring the population of wildlife on a regular basis is important to understand if there are changes in numbers and to determine causes for such a change.

Thinking beyond the Grid

While most environmentalists and policy makers preach the importance of renewable energy and green practices, a primary school teacher residing in the dense forest near the Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant has actually gone a step beyond the rhetoric. He has put such mantras into practice to brighten his life.

The entire lighting requirement in his house, irrigation and domestic water pumps are all being operated on solar energy for the last 13 years. This has inspired many of his neighbours and fellow villagers to go solar. Nearly 60 per cent of the villagers now use solar energy.

Meet Narayan S Bhat of Shigekeri village situated in the forests of Kaiga, near Karwar. Like most of his neighbours, Bhat’s family has been making do without electricity, for generations now. Their only source of light, so far, were kerosene lanterns and oil lamps. However, the transformation came about in 1994, when Bhat was working as a teacher in Mundgod. “In one of the houses in Mundgod I happened to see a solar lantern in use. It was then that I decided to adopt this novel technology in my house as well,” says Bhat.

And then, there was light...
Way back in 1997, Bhat bought and installed a couple of solar panels to meet the lighting needs in his house. Over the years, he also bought direct current water and irrigation pumps and added more solar power panels. Everything from the dosa grinder and mixie in his kitchen to the TV, computer, telephone and fencing for his farm is powered by solar panels. He says that he has not experienced a single power outage in the last 10-12 years.

“We are nine of us in the family and also have many guests every day including labourers who work on the farm. A lot of cooking gets done in our kitchen and thankfully this technology has not failed us,” Bhat points out. Energy tapped from the sun is stored in batteries and used for operating lights and other appliances. When it rains though, there is no need to use the irrigation pump. The electricity that is generated is enough for our lighting and kitchen needs, he says.

School running on solar power
In fact, the government primary school adjacent to his house also uses solar power for lighting and to power the computer. Narayan Bhat, his wife Geetha and brother Ramachandra Bhat are also keen on community service.

Their house is always welcome for trekkers or naturalists who end up in the forest and have no place to stay for the night. The entire family and neighbours gather in the kitchen to cook food in case a large number of trekkers end up at their house. Bhat is popular with the students and their parents as well and has also won the Jana Mecchidanta Shikshaka Award, for his popularity. His school has also received the Uttama Shale Award. (Best School Award).

‘Stop depending on the grid’
Even though his village was finally provided electricity from the grid five years ago, he does not use it. Bhat believes solar power is the future and that the government should popularise it in a big way.

He points out that solar power should be used for small villages of about 15-20 houses which are in remote areas like a forest or in hilly areas.

Instead of cutting trees to make way for power lines, the government should set up exclusive solar power plants in such villages and hand over maintenance to the village.
He suggests that use of solar power be made compulsory for every household in the state to minimise environmental problems and also help reduce the dependence of people on the grid.