(IN): A Ramsar site dying: Assam wetland turns into dumpyard

[Guest guest]

We filed this news report below for NDTV yesterday. This is perhaps the

fifth news report that I have shot in less than a year which has been filed

by NDTV to expose the irregularities meted out to the only Ramsar site of

this region.

The condition of the wetland only gets worsened every passing day.

Even the scavengers are now dying painfully after consuming the toxic waste.

Adjutant storks, dogs, kites, cattle and human rag pickers are all falling

victims here.

Please circulate this news report in your individual capacity to the Ramsar

secretariat and/ or the IUCN so that some pressure is mounted on the

offenders.

 

Azam

 

 

 

 

Link:

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080038002 & ch=1/8/2008%\

209:18:00%20AM

 

*Assam wetland turns into dumpyard*

 

Kishalay Bhattacharjee

Tuesday, January 8, 2008 (Guwahati)

 

Pollution control has given the Assam government an ultimatum and issued a

warning for outbreak of epidemic, over the contamination of one of India's

endangered wetlands, Deepor Beel.

 

Yet the Guwahati Corporation continues to dump and burn garbage on the

wetland, as the government looks the other way.

 

The core area of the Ramsar wetland Deepor Beel has now become a picnic spot

for local residents and fishermen fishing here are destroying aquatic life.

 

Many migratory birds come to this place every year but this year not even a

single one has come yet. Instead scavengers have replaced them.

 

Today the world dumps 70 million tonnes of global warming pollution and this

is just a little part of that but why it's significant and disastrous is

because across this ridge is the Ramsar wetland called Deepor Beel, which is

an internationally protected wetland.

 

But while there is a lot of focus on Deepor Beel, with efforts from various

agencies, the government there has shown little or no concern.

 

For the past two years, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation has been dumping

the city's waste here, despite warnings from the pollution control board.

This week they went a step further and now they are burning the garbage.

 

The pollution control board has warned them yet again and also said that

there may be an epidemic anytime, since pollutants in the wetland are

seeping into the groundwater.

 

''Due to the dumping activity, the water of the entire Deepor Beel has been

contaminated. The migratory numbers are less and fish have been affected as

well,'' said J Sharma, Assistant Analyst, Pollution Control Board.

 

''The whole city's waste, plastic waste, even bio medical waste is dumped

here and that's very dangerous. It's infectious and that's a major problem.

When you burn plastic then the gases are very harmful to humans''

 

Government agencies refused to speak to us on the situation. As for the

Pollution Control Board, they cannot go beyond issue warnings and notices.

 

Lakhan Terong, a local activist said, ''Deepor Beel is in grave danger,

awareness has to start from grass root and pressure has to be mounted on the

government.''

 

 

--

United against elephant polo

http://www.freewebs.com/elephantpolo

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Follow link below to watch the video " Assam wetland- A cause to

epidemic " :

 

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/videopod/default.aspx?id=21883

 

 

aapn , " AZAM SIDDIQUI " <azam24x7 wrote:

>

> We filed this news report below for NDTV yesterday. This is perhaps

the

> fifth news report that I have shot in less than a year which has

been filed

> by NDTV to expose the irregularities meted out to the only Ramsar

site of

> this region.

> The condition of the wetland only gets worsened every passing day.

> Even the scavengers are now dying painfully after consuming the

toxic waste.

> Adjutant storks, dogs, kites, cattle and human rag pickers are all

falling

> victims here.

> Please circulate this news report in your individual capacity to

the Ramsar

> secretariat and/ or the IUCN so that some pressure is mounted on the

> offenders.

>

> Azam

>

>

>

>

> Link:

> http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?

id=NEWEN20080038002 & ch=1/8/2008%209:18:00%20AM

>

> *Assam wetland turns into dumpyard*

>

> Kishalay Bhattacharjee

> Tuesday, January 8, 2008 (Guwahati)

>

> Pollution control has given the Assam government an ultimatum and

issued a

> warning for outbreak of epidemic, over the contamination of one of

India's

> endangered wetlands, Deepor Beel.

>

> Yet the Guwahati Corporation continues to dump and burn garbage on

the

> wetland, as the government looks the other way.

>

> The core area of the Ramsar wetland Deepor Beel has now become a

picnic spot

> for local residents and fishermen fishing here are destroying

aquatic life.

>

> Many migratory birds come to this place every year but this year

not even a

> single one has come yet. Instead scavengers have replaced them.

>

> Today the world dumps 70 million tonnes of global warming pollution

and this

> is just a little part of that but why it's significant and

disastrous is

> because across this ridge is the Ramsar wetland called Deepor Beel,

which is

> an internationally protected wetland.

>

> But while there is a lot of focus on Deepor Beel, with efforts from

various

> agencies, the government there has shown little or no concern.

>

> For the past two years, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation has been

dumping

> the city's waste here, despite warnings from the pollution control

board.

> This week they went a step further and now they are burning the

garbage.

>

> The pollution control board has warned them yet again and also said

that

> there may be an epidemic anytime, since pollutants in the wetland

are

> seeping into the groundwater.

>

> ''Due to the dumping activity, the water of the entire Deepor Beel

has been

> contaminated. The migratory numbers are less and fish have been

affected as

> well,'' said J Sharma, Assistant Analyst, Pollution Control Board.

>

> ''The whole city's waste, plastic waste, even bio medical waste is

dumped

> here and that's very dangerous. It's infectious and that's a major

problem.

> When you burn plastic then the gases are very harmful to humans''

>

> Government agencies refused to speak to us on the situation. As for

the

> Pollution Control Board, they cannot go beyond issue warnings and

notices.

>

> Lakhan Terong, a local activist said, ''Deepor Beel is in grave

danger,

> awareness has to start from grass root and pressure has to be

mounted on the

> government.''

>

>

> --

> United against elephant polo

> http://www.freewebs.com/elephantpolo

>

>

>