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Travel LITTLE RANN of KUTCH | | travel LITTLE RANN OF KUTCH | Salt of the Earth In the Indian state of Gujarat, thousands of poorly paid workers known as Agarias toil in the heat to produce huge amounts of salt on the flats of the Little Rann of Kutch, a marsh where the wildlife, notably the endangered Indian wild ass, is drawing increasing numbers of visitors. But the authorities see the salt industry as incompatible with local conservation efforts, writes Caroline Eden EE J ER UKH M N A M ITI R DH 56 www.geographical.co.uk NOVEMBER 2010 NOVEMBER 2010 www.geographical.co.uk 57 | travel LITTLE RANN OF KUTCH | t’s 6am and the heat is already The land supports a variety of wildlife, intensifying on the saline flats including the gudkhur, or Indian wild I of the Little Rann of Kutch. ass – a subspecies of the onager, or wild Our four-wheel-drive truck Asian ass – which is endemic to the carries us towards a lake that shimmers region. In 1972, the Little Rann of in the distance, where a large stand of Kutch was declared a wildlife sanctuary flamingoes can be seen, an incongru- by the government of Gujarat in order ous flash of colour against the other- to protect the wild ass population, which wise desolate backdrop. at that time numbered about 500. Slowly driving closer, my safari guide The 4,954-square-kilometre Wild Ass and I pass a patch of scrubby plants. Sanctuary also provides a feeding, breed- His eyes, much sharper than mine, ing and roosting habitat for a large spot movement. ‘There, did you see? A number of birds – an estimated 70,000– five-striped palm squirrel,’ he says. 75,000 individuals nest here each year Frustrated at having missed it, I strain in an area of only 100 or so hectares. to catch a glimpse of another, but the dry Hosting a mix of contrasting habitats – bushes fail to yield any more inhabitants. desert plains, scrub, grasslands and But within minutes, my disappoint- wetlands – the region supports a wide ment is alleviated as we spot a small diversity of species. And due to its stra- herd of Indian wild ass, distinguishable tegic location on bird migration routes, by their handsome golden-brown coats it also hosts visitors including vultures and dark manes. In silence, we admire from Egypt, the common and demoi- them for a moment as they shyly graze selle cranes from Siberia, the blue-tailed on the patchy vegetation. bee-eater from Europe, and the hou- At the lake, countless squawking bara bustard from Iran and Iraq. flamingoes, cranes, pelicans and other waterbirds stand grouped in the shal- GROWING CONFLICT low waters and marshes. With our cam- A number of eco-resorts have set up close eras at the ready, we watch as a flock of to the Little Rann in order to cater to the birds in the distance takes flight, sepa- birdwatchers and other wildlife enthu- rating out then aligning perfectly to siasts who are being drawn in increas- create a panorama of colour and move- ing numbers by its natural treasures. But ment in the morning sky. as interest in the region has developed, so, too, has conflict between those with DESERT TO WETLAND an interest in protecting the local wild- The cracked earth below me was once life and the estimated 50,000–150,000 an arm of the Arabian Sea, before geo- low-caste workers who toil near the logical uplift closed off the connection sanctuary on the bleak salt flats. with the ocean. Over the centuries, the Known locally as ‘Agarias’ – people vast lake that was formed silted up, cre- who work in an agar (salt pan) – they ating this gigantic saline mudflat. belong to the Chunvaliya Koli, Ahir, Temperatures reach 42°C in summer, Miyana and Sandhi communities. Many and the state of Gujarat, in which the have travelled from neighbouring states Little Rann of Kutch is located, often and face exploitation, as there are no suffers drought conditions, receiving a contracts or labour laws to protect them. mere 300 millimetres of annual rain- On arrival, the workers (usually fall. However, during the brief wet sea- entire families, including children) first son, from July to September, the area is construct a hut for shelter and then transformed from desert to wetland as begin preparing the fields. This involves the southwest monsoon saturates the building embankments to create about region. Several rivers, including the a dozen 60-square-metre evaporation Bhambhan from the south, the Rupen D pans. Meanwhile, a shallow well is dug, R and Saraswati from the east, and the A and saline groundwater is pumped into West Banas from the northeast, drain GERR E the pans. Evaporation concentrates the HI PREVIOUS SPREAD: a group of Agarias scrape up salt crystals from one of their into the Rann during the monsoon, OP salt, as the water is passed from one S ; pans in the Little Rann of Kutch. About one fifth of India’s salt output is produced 3 submerging it to a depth of up to two pan to the next through narrow chan- EE here; LEFT: a female Agaria dumps collected salt into a heap; ABOVE, FROM metres. The local wildlife finds refuge J nels. Over a period of several months, ER TOP: the endangered Indian wild ass, a subspecies of the Asiatic wild ass, is on sandy, salt-free areas of higher UKH found only around the Rann; Lata Ben, the wife of a salt worker, cooks breakfast the surfaces of the pans are scraped M ground known locally as bets, some of N with heavy rakes to even out the salt, A in the family’s tent. The tent was donated by Sabras, a salt-trading company run M which once boasted a rich flora, but ITI by Agarias; the Little Rann of Kutch is also an important habitat for migratory which eventually forms a hard crust, R have now mostly been denuded. DH waterbirds, such as these great white pelicans and flamingoes ready for harvesting. 58 www.geographical.co.uk NOVEMBER 2010 NOVEMBER 2010 www.geographical.co.uk 59 | travel LITTLE RANN OF KUTCH | | xxxxxx XXXXXXX | The forest rangers who administer the mobile schools. I asked the organi- the nature reserve, the eco-resort owners INDIA sation’s director, Rupul Desai, about and conservationists are primarily con- CO-ORDINATES the progress being made and the pros- cerned about the large convoys of trucks pects for the children of the salt work- that travel through the sanctuary to ers. ‘There are five schools, helping 278 collect the bags of salt produced by the children, but there are 40,000 children Agarias. These trucks, they claim, are H here,’ she replied. ‘We are doing our I disturbing the wildlife, and they would N M best, but the impact is small.’ A T I S A K L like to see the Agarias removed from A A In the evening, back at the Rann P NEW DELHI N Y A E P the area, and for the Little Rann to be A L BHUTAN Riders resort, I joined a salt trader who Ga ng es Patna used solely as a nature reserve. B happened to be at the camp. Clearly Kutch Little Rann of Kutch A N G L But the salt workers are desperately A concerned about the threat to his liveli- Kolkata D E S poor, and are unlikely to find other I NDIA H hood, he was adamant that salt work- work. For their part, the workers argue Mumbai ers and wildlife could coexist. ‘Where is that they rarely come into contact the conflict?’ he asked. ‘The animals Bay of with the animals, as the creatures pre- Arabian can often be found drinking water Bengal fer to cluster around the periphery Sea Chennai from the Agaria tanks. Never has a salt h and never in the middle of the Rann, rt worker harmed a wild ass.’ no where the Agarias live and work. 400 km The forest workers, too, seem to Salt production began in the Little 400 miles suggest that coexistence is possible. Rann in 1872; now, more than a cen- Stationed in huts positioned around tury later, little has changed in the way the sanctuary’s edge, they freely admit the salt is produced, and life remains When to go that the wild ass population has risen cruel for the Agarias. They work for a The best time to visit Gujarat and the Little to the point that it’s no longer critically pittance (a worker earns roughly 140 Rann of Kutch is October to March. Avoid endangered. But for them, the issue is rupees – about £2 – per tonne of salt) the summer (April–June), when black and white: the area has been with only mirages and the dazzling temperatures frequently exceed 40°C, and declared a sanctuary, so it should be whiteness of the salt for company. the rainy monsoon (June–September). free from human occupation. There are no shops or markets, no run- Getting there ning water. Living in makeshift huts IN OR OUT Jet Airways (www.jetairways.com) has good and camps, with little shelter from the daily connecting flights from London to In Patdi, a rather uninspiring little town sun’s glare, they rely on a mobile ration Ahmedabad (Gujarat’s main city) via close to the sanctuary, I met Raju, a mem- shop for food and tankers for potable Mumbai. From Ahmedabad, the journey ber of the Rabari tribe, who told me that water.
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