Anthropogenic threats, institutional inertia, and the diminishing wetlands of Assam

When Purnima, a resource harvester in the Urpad wetland (urpad beel) earning a meagre 200 rupees a day, joined the newly established self-help group in the nearby village of Agia, she contributed £0.85 - her week’s savings - and a promise to send her daughter back to school. Her story reverberates in the lives of thousands of men, women and children in some of these gradually diminishing wetlands of Assam. The government claims that wetland rejuvenation projects in the state are a success, citing the launch of an ambitious restoration project accounting for 129 wetlands in FY 2024-25. 

These successes, however, are starkly juxtaposed with the pertinent complex policy conundrums. Major wetlands like Deepor Beel, Silasako Beel, Urpad Beel among others face the threats of unsustainable fishing, waste dumping, encroachment and climate altered hydrology. The ever escalating anthropogenic pressures on these fragile ecosystems – often regarded as bio-ecological treasure troves, is further aggravated by institutional inertia and the absence of robust enforcement of existing regulations.

Wetlands: Biodiverse bastions

Credit:  দীপাংকৰ ঠাকুৰীয়া (Dipankar Thakuria), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wetlands are often regarded as reservoirs of genetic diversity and are believed to be the most productive ecosystems on Earth. According to Article 1 of the Ramsar Convention wetlands are areas of marsh, peat, fen, peatland or water, permanent or temporary containing water which might be static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which should not exceed six meters at low tides. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service defines wetland as a transitional zone between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is at the surface or usually quite near to it and is fairly covered with shallow water. Wetlands cover approximately 570 million hectares of land which accounts for roughly 6% of the earth’s land surface with their global economic value standing at a staggering USD 70 billion annually.

In India wetlands account for an estimated 58.2 million hectares of landmass including areas under cultivation and important hotspots of aquatic biodiversity. Situated in the northeastern part of India, Assam boasts 3500 wetlands covering an estimated 101,234 hectares of the state’s land surface supporting a rich array of aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity, indigenous communities and traditional livelihoods both directly and indirectly. The 2001 Census report cites that 79.2% of fishermen of the scheduled castes of Assam were dependent on wetlands for their sustenance. Furthermore, wetlands such as the Maguri-Motapung beel in upper Assam, support an estimated 10,688 people with over a half of them engaged in fishing and other allied activities. The average landholding in these wetlands of Assam is typically less than half a hectare with less than a decile of the demographic engaged in formal employment. Such dire conditions often necessitate reliance on alternate sources of livelihood. With options to choose from, the inhabitants resort to resource foraging and provisioning, fishing and illegal hunting among others. In recent years, the younger population is increasingly turning to tourism-related jobs like birdwatching or running boat services as potential sources of additional income.

Interlinked challenges in Assam’s wetlands

The issue of wetland degradation is not as simple as it seems but rather stratified, having widespread intersectoral ramifications and is further aggravated by an array of other factors. For instance, flood pulse decoupling is another pertinent issue plaguing the wetlands of Assam; while seasonal surges have historically rejuvenated these wetlands, recent cases of erratic flooding often have adverse effects as it disrupts the predictable ‘flood-pulses’ that wetland species depend on. When such a situation is prolonged, flooding could be a ‘curse’ for the wetlands. In addition to this, there are a myriad of other implications : 

1. Carbon release

Wetlands and peatlands act as major carbon sinks. With wetlands dwindling large amounts of stored carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide contributing to global warming. A recent study of Assam’s five major wetlands namely, 47-Morakolong, Jaliguti, Chatla, Urmal and Charan revealed that the top 30 cm of soil in these five wetlands stored between 12,650 and 76,950 kg of carbon per hectare, with Chatla boasting the highest carbon stock, while 47-Morakolong had the lowest. Carbon sequestration in these wetlands are largely dominated by aquatic plants like the macrophytes.

2. Heavy metal contamination of Assam’s wetlands 

Among the many anthropogenic activities posing a serious threat to these wetlands, industrial level dumping has led to heavy metal contamination in the wetlands of Assam. A research conducted by academics from the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology India, Guwahati cites that even non-essential metals like lead, cadmium and chromium in wetlands are perceived as a threat as they flow through trophic levels. Deepor Beel in Guwahati (Assam), reported high levels of metal concentration as spiked traces of lead (pb) were found in its bioavailable form.

3. The endangerment of ethnic tribes

Wetlands not only sustain a rich variety of biodiversity but also underpin the socio-cultural and economic fabric of many marginal ethnic communities, including the Morang, Motok, Koch, Mishing, Koibartta among others. With young members deserting their communities in search of more lucrative livelihood opportunities, this has triggered an irreversible erosion of their cultural identity. In addition to this, successive encroachment of these fragile ecosystems often lead to the displacement of native communities.

4. Microclimatic feedback

Wetlands play a crucial role as regional thermal regulators through a process called evaporative cooling. However, as urban and peri-urban wetlands continue to vanish, we start to see the negative effects of losing these "Urban Cooling Islands" (UCIs), which can create a chain reaction in the local climate, triggering a microclimatic domino effect. This has led to an increase in the annual temperature by 0.049 C which when seen by a layperson might seem rather insignificant but could be devastating in the long run. A net decadal temperature rise of just 0.2 C, which is in fact the current rate of temperature rise, has been considered dangerous by the National Resource Defence Council (NRDC). Such a temperature spike can create a cascading impact on the local climate, shifting precipitation patterns and disrupting ecological balance.

Way forward

It is imperative to acknowledge that, while institutional conservation initiatives often yield marginal or insufficient progress, the active and sustained involvement of local communities has the potential to fundamentally reconfigure the trajectory of this critical issue. By incentivising a Carbon Credit System for the farmers possessing property rights over wetlands, bottom up conservation efforts could be realised. Additionally, during ‘flood pulses’ surplus floodwater is diverted into nine designated wetlands under the ‘Wetland Integration Initiative’ in Assam; this should be expanded to include more wetlands within its ambit.

Furthermore, predictive modeling with artificial neural networks (ANN) can help us understand how urban expansion might affect Ramsar sites like Deepor Beel. By predicting the changes in the hydro-ecological landscape up to the year 2035, we can further refine the zoning regulations we have in place currently. Additionally, local wetland management committees should have the power to monitor the health of these wetlands, silt traps, and the water flow into these areas, which are of vital importance to the region. It’s also imperative to move beyond simple NDVI and towards Hyperspectral Remote Sensing to differentiate between native Macrophytes and invasive species such as Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth).

Credit: Arshadur Rahman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Another interesting prospect could be popularising the traditional knowledge of making flood-resilient stilt shelters, colloquially called the sang ghor. Its innovative designs let floodwaters flow freely underneath, aiding in safeguarding wetlands from the harmful effects of channelization. Additionally, they take up less than 5% of the ground space, which is ideal for the fishermen inhabiting the peripheries and supporting biodiversity. The improved stilt structures in Assam’s Majuli have effectively resisted seven floods, protecting wetlands in the region without increasing siltation rates. Additionally, such shelters could be further modified with green roofs and rainwater collection systems to minimize runoff and improve energy efficiency.

Conclusion

To conclude, despite major conservation efforts low community involvement and encroachment continue to act as major impediments. Securing the future of wetlands of Assam requires a targeted and collaborative approach which integrates traditional knowledge with modern technology and creative thinking institutionalised through a robust policy framework.

With billionaires dismissing climate action and biodiversity conservation as ‘aberrations’, it’s evident that this agenda has been sidelined in favour of other strategically expedient priorities in the global conservation discourse. It’s important to note however, that the systems-level decisions being taken now will shape the financial architectures and policy frameworks that are poised to determine the trajectory of biodiversity conservation not only in the immediate future, but for decades ahead. While sharp rhetoric and spirited remarks aimed at garnering media sensitisation occupy centre stage at conservation conferences, the pressing question is to what extent these exchanges amount to concerted dialogue. In this light, it is imperative to depart from traditional ‘restoration’ towards a framework of biocultural jurisprudence and nature-based financial architectures.

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