Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management Vol.2 No.3 2009 Water Scarcity in Wetland Area within Kandi Block of West Bengal: A Hydro-Ecological Assessment 1Swadesh Pal and 2Osondu C. Akoma Abstract Water logging areas are basically designated by water affluences in permanent or seasonal basis. But due to accelerated rate of human intervention and human induced modification of natural processes, natural wetland landscapes also have today under acute seasonal water scarcity. Wetland areas have been gradually squeezing, permanent wetland areas have transmuted into semi permanent wetlands with groundwater table (GWT) slashing down rapidly. Due to intensive boro culture, as much as 2444 mini deeps ground water table have been slashed by 0.32 m./ year since 1968 to 2008 during summer but it is more higher (0.35 m./year) between 2001-2008. During May, 1968 G.W.T. depth was 6.09 m. whereas it is almost 20.19 m by 2008. Changes in land use to some extent mitigate such ensuing threats of ground water scarcity as a result the entire hydrological and ecological scenario of the wetland landscape has under gone massive negative transformation. Key words: Wetland, water scarcity, hydro-ecology, human invasion, lowering of ground water table, clogging of tributary Introduction he term ‘wetland’ describes a soil. Given high population densities, Tparticular group of aquatic increased rates of deforestation (particularly in habitats representing a variety of shallow, Indonesia) and the large degree of ecosystem vegetated systems, such as bogs, marshes, fragmentation in India, which has more than swamps, floodplains, coastal lagoons, 4,000 dams, Southeast Asia’s wetlands are estuaries, coral reefs and seagrass beds, where probably the most degraded in the world. This the shallowest sites are often transitional areas is reflected in the rapid decrease or local and can be seasonally or intermittently flooded extinction of large grazing wetland species, (Groombridge and Jenkins, 1998). Though it such as the Indian rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros may be hard to fathom, water scarcity in unicornis ) and swamp deer ( Cervus duvauceli, wetland area is a possibility and a prevalent C. eldi, C. schomburgki ), and the high number event in almost the entire deltaic wetland areas of globally threatened fish, amphibians, water of West Bengal, especially wetland areas of turtles and bird species in the region (Burke et Kandi block of Murshidabad district. Wetland al., 2001; IUCN, 2003a; IUCN et al., 2004). In (also called beel in local language) is defined recent years, there has been increasing as the interface between terrestrial land and awareness of the fact that natural wetlands aquatic landscape. Wetlands are the areas of provide many valuable functions like flood marsh, fen, peat land or water, whether natural alleviation, groundwater recharge, retention or artificial, permanent or temporary, with and regulation of pollutants, refuge for fish and water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish other fauna etc. (Bugenyi, 2001; Owor, et al., or salt, including areas of marine water, the 2007) depth of which at low tide does not exceed six Utilization of water from these wetland areas meters (IUCN, 1979). Wetlands generally has proceeded without a basic understanding include swamps, marshes, bogs and similar of the hydroecological system of the system areas (Mitch and Gosselink, 1986). Some which on the long run has resulted in water unique characteristics of wetland in this regard scarcity. About 6% of the geographical land of include presence of water either seasonal or the earth surface falls within wetland areas permanently, soil saturation, presence of (MoEF, 1992). Large sections of people are aquatic vegetations or hydrophytes and hydric directly or indirectly dependent on wetland 1 Department of Geography Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, West Bengal, India. [email protected] 2Department of Biology Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. 1 Water Scarcity in ……….. Swadesh Pal and Akoma EJESM Vol.2 No.3 2009 areas for their livelihood and sustenance. actions for both basins and aquifers carefully However, the fast growing population has evaluate each wetland’s characteristics as they induced land degradation and increased will exhibit different performance and abstraction of water and a critical problem in functional roles according to their location in water resources management (Rutledge and the watershed, their climate, and the extent of Daniel, 1994; Dagnachew, et al., 2003; other development features. Temalem, 2002). Each unit of wetland has its Location of the Study Area multifarious function and usefulness involving Kandi Block is one of the largest units various aspects in human life and activities. of Murshidabad district covering an area of Unfortunately about 50% of the total wetland 240.43 km 2. It consists of 10 Gram Panchayats areas today have been subjected to negative (G.P.) and 1 municipality (Kandi) and 101 transformation and degradation. Owing to such rural settlements and 93 villages. It is located negative transformation, wetlands in India are between latitude 23°54'34" North to 24°07'08" currently under serious threats of extinction. North and longitude 87°59'09" East to Various threats were categorized and their 88°11'37" East. incidence in about 147 wetlands, listed in the Present Hydro-Geographical and Ecological Directory of Indian Wetlands (1993). Condition of the Area Accordingly the assessment of the A large part of Kandi Block has some hydrological behavior of inflowing rivers and impacted moribund seasonal wetlands with the temporal and spatial variation of river recurring flood. The topography of the area flows is vital as the rivers are interconnected ranges from 14 m.a.s.l to 30 m.a.s.l (fig. 1). A with the complex and delicate wetland narrow tract of Gokarna along Dwarka River ecosystem and the rivers being partly the and most part of the Kumarsanda and Hizole source of recharge for the aquifers (Tenalem, area (known as Hizole wetland) are depressed 2008). land. There are pockets of depressed, seasonal, In the present study a number of marsh land scattered within the stable area. wetland areas like Chorki, Bagdasha, Sapmara Average slope is less than 1 inch per 5280 m (collectively known as Hizole beel) and Amal (1 foot per mile); slope direction toward bandha, Ghatahari, Madgarya, Parulia etc. north/south and south/east. A number of (collectively known as Kumarsanda beel) significant rivers like Dwarka, Babla, make up the Kandi block. Large number of Mayurakshi, Kuya, Banki and other small significant rivers like Dwarka, Babla, streams intersect in this block forming an Mayurakshi, Kuya, Banki have made the anastomosing network of rivers in the Hizole region of significant hydrological importance. wetland area. Observed soil types are clayey But today due to various forms of human and clay loam. The geological composition of interference in these wetland areas there is the area comprises of almost flat flood plains acute water shortage resulting in seasonal with both older and younger alluvium. Annual water scarcity. Such scarcity of water is not average rainfall ranges from 1490 mm to 1550 only precarious from hydrological point of mm. About 82.85% of the total rainfall is view and requires serious institutional concern recorded within monsoon period (June to but from ecological stand point needs to be October) and coefficient of variation of mitigated. An important new study on monthly rainfall strongly ranges from 95% to variability in the role of wetlands was carried 138.28% during last 10 years. About a hundred out by Bullock and Acreman (2003), wherein and fifty years ago most of the wetland areas they assess the differences in wetland water were covered by under dense grass land, quantity functions based on 169 worldwide Hizole tree ( Barringtonia acutagula ), and studies conducted from 1930 to 2002. They several species fishes, amphibians, reptiles and proposed a more scientifically defensible birds with an abundance of both endemic and functional assessment system (of wetlands) by exotic varieties (Siraj, 1995, District Gazetteer, establishing a benchmark for the aggregated 2003). The objectives of this research are to: knowledge of wetland influences upon study spatial and temporal change of wetland downstream river flows and aquifers. They area and its intrinsic and extrinsic hydrology recommend that future water management and ecology; investigate spatio-temporal 2 Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management Vol.2 No.3. 2009 changeover of sub-surface water condition of for changes in surface and sub surface water the study area and; determine the basic causes condition and ecological metamorphism. 88° 00' 88° 05' 88° 10' 88° 15' E. West Bengal Contour Map Kandi Block 3D Model of Contour Kandi Block Key (Height in metre) 29 24° 28 24° 27 05' N. 26 05' N. 25 24 23 Legend 22 21 20 ( Height in metre ) 19 18 17 30 16 15 29 28 27 24° 26 24° 00' 25 00' 24 Murshidabad India 23 22 District 21 20 19 18 17 23° 23° 16 55' 55' 1.5 0 1.5 15 14 km. 500 100 88° 15' E. Km. 88° 00' 88° 05' 88° 10' Source: prepared by researcher using spot height value from a book Bengal's Delta, R.C. Bagchi. 88° 00' E. 88° 05' 88° 10' 88° 15' 88° 00' E. 88° 05' 88° 10' Kandi Block Hydrological Environment Kandi Block (Gram Panchyat) 30 3 24° km. 24° 24° 24° 3 05' 05' 05' 2 05' N Kumarsanda Beel 1 Reference (Name of the Gram Panchyat& Municipality) 4 5 1. = Kumarsanda GP Gokarna Beel 2.= Mahalandi-I GP. 3.= Mahalandi- II 24° 24° 24° 24° 6 4.= Gokarna - I 00' 00' 00' 5.= Gokarna- II 00' 6.= Purandarpur 7.= Hizole 8 7 8.= Andulia 9. Jasohari Anukha- I 10 11 10. Jasohari Anukha- II 11.= Kandi Municipality 9 23° 23° Reference Hizole Beel 20 2 23° 24° 55' 55' 55' River 00' km.