The East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW) is located on the eastern periphery of the city of Kolkata and extends up to theBidyadhari-Matla River confluence. It is a Ramsar Site and acts as an absorber basin for a large number o...The East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW) is located on the eastern periphery of the city of Kolkata and extends up to theBidyadhari-Matla River confluence. It is a Ramsar Site and acts as an absorber basin for a large number of con-taminants drained from Kolkata. Agricultural lands, sewage-fed fisheries, garbage dumping fields, horticulture,and built-up areas are included in this protected area, that covers approximately 125 km2. It reveals that climatechange reduces the variety of wetland ecosystem services and increases socio-economic vulnerability and eco-nomic stress. The human encroachment, reclamation of land for agriculture, aquaculture, and urban expansion inand around Kolkata has recently adversely threatened the EKW. The remotely sensed data, socio-economic data,and responses of inhabitants have been used to analyse the EKW’s risk and vulnerability. We employed geospatialanalysis by using the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method using nine risk factors. An in-depth analysisof the EKW using geospatial techniques and the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) helped to understandthe EKW transformations through vulnerability and risk analysis. The results show that the transformation of thewetland to aquaculture, eutrophication and pollution, road proximity, waste dumping, population density, andgrowth are the main factors for the deteriorating health, quality, and environment of the EKW. It also reveals thatquantitative and qualitative evaluations of ecosystem services, wetland degradation, transformation, and cause-effect rapport should be periodically assessed using scientific methods like FAHP, RS, GIS to formulate resilient,integrated plans and strategy for the sustainable management of the EKW.展开更多
基金The authors would like to thank the Netaji Subhas Open Uni-versity,Kolkata,for providing the supportive research funding(No.AC/140/2021-22).
文摘The East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW) is located on the eastern periphery of the city of Kolkata and extends up to theBidyadhari-Matla River confluence. It is a Ramsar Site and acts as an absorber basin for a large number of con-taminants drained from Kolkata. Agricultural lands, sewage-fed fisheries, garbage dumping fields, horticulture,and built-up areas are included in this protected area, that covers approximately 125 km2. It reveals that climatechange reduces the variety of wetland ecosystem services and increases socio-economic vulnerability and eco-nomic stress. The human encroachment, reclamation of land for agriculture, aquaculture, and urban expansion inand around Kolkata has recently adversely threatened the EKW. The remotely sensed data, socio-economic data,and responses of inhabitants have been used to analyse the EKW’s risk and vulnerability. We employed geospatialanalysis by using the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method using nine risk factors. An in-depth analysisof the EKW using geospatial techniques and the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) helped to understandthe EKW transformations through vulnerability and risk analysis. The results show that the transformation of thewetland to aquaculture, eutrophication and pollution, road proximity, waste dumping, population density, andgrowth are the main factors for the deteriorating health, quality, and environment of the EKW. It also reveals thatquantitative and qualitative evaluations of ecosystem services, wetland degradation, transformation, and cause-effect rapport should be periodically assessed using scientific methods like FAHP, RS, GIS to formulate resilient,integrated plans and strategy for the sustainable management of the EKW.
