Rise of Eco-Warriors in Kolkata

The "city of joy," Kolkata is famous for being the fusion of different cultures, festivals, amazing sites, mystery, and delicious foods. This metropolitan city is slowly losing its soul and is choking day by day. The rising population is leading to increasing pollution and is causing suffocation. When the city was swallowed by the dark clouds, some eco-warriors appeared as the silver lining in the dark clouds. They recreated the beauty of the city with their hard work and struggles. 

Eco-warriors: people who actively participate to work for the betterment of our environment. They take important steps to fight back against pollution and try to maintain the greenery of the city. 

Gloomy Kolkata wrapped in plastic 

 The life-changing invention of ‘user friendly plastic’ brought a permanent disaster with its advantage of being everlasting. According to various surveys, around 500 to 1,200 tonnes of plastic waste are produced daily in Kolkata. The consumption of plastic is increasing at a faster rate. Most of the plastic wastes remain untreated which invites waterlogging and clogged sewers. Arunabha Majumdar, a waste management specialist said that about 10 percent of overall waste is plastic waste. Although plastic bags less than 50-micron thick are banned, people are still using those plastic bags. 

The streets of Kolkata are turning smoky not only because of gaseous discharge by industries and automobiles but also because of cigarette consumption. The crowded city is holding the record of being the highest cigarette consumption city in India. A person in Kolkata consumes 9 to 10 cigarettes per day. As per records, 44 percent of the consumers are increasing the number of cigarettes each day by 2 to 3. Most astonishingly, they are not ready to get out of this addiction, rather they claim it to be a “stress reliever”. People are willingly deteriorating their health. 

Plastic waste and cigarette consumption are causing personal, public, and environmental harm. Despite several awareness programs and banned plastic bags, people are still neglecting the horrific consequences.

Project Buttrush -Nirit Datta

Nirit Dutta appeared as a warrior on the smoky roads of Kolkata and changed the city with his own hands. He launched the “Buttrush” project in April 2021. The project deals with the collection of cigarette butts which are a source of microplastics in the ocean and lead to contamination of water bodies. A little cigarette can bring disaster when it comes to an alarming number. He set the world record by collecting the maximum number of cigarettes in a day. He single-handedly collected 10, 400 cigarette butts while his team collected 23,000 from a particular area of Salt Lake. The cigarette buts were transferred to the waste wheel and had been through a recycling process.

His father was a wildlife enthusiast and rescued animals over years, this became an inspiration for him. He grew up as a nature lover and established himself as an eco-warrior. He quit his job to spread awareness and save the city. His project mainly focused on Kolkata and Bangalore. In an interview, he said that his team collected about 51,000 cigarette buts in just 6 months. He added that this much cellulose acetate can be the cause of death of about 140 dolphins and 28 whales.

Urbanization or loss of ecosystem

Urbanization of different cities in India has always resulted in the loss of the ecosystem. Biodiversity is a crucial necessity of human existence. Yet, the rich floral and faunal diversity of Kolkata is a treat. Till 1994, Kolkata was rich in biodiversity but the increasing industrialization led to the loss of rare species across the city. Kolkata had around 276 species of trees. Out of these 61 species are endangered. A recent study highlighted the scarcity of indigenous varieties of trees like mango, dumur, neem, banyan.

Green transformation by Mintu Hait 

Mintu Hait was like other residents having a law degree, until and unless he took a significant step towards reforming the city, Kolkata. He started his project of planting saplings with a little amount of money. Soon he realized that they needed more seeds to fill the plot and transform it into a green area. He investigated land. He made a small team along with his friends and started the planting process. In an interview he shared that he took the initiative as he found that 100ft tall coconut trees were dying and emptied the land around his neighbouring areas in Chetla. he was 18years at that time and could not take steps at that time, that is why he started this project. After almost a decade, the saplings took the shape of trees and became a biodiversity hotspot. At present, the area is home to more than 10 mammals, reptiles, and more than 80 species of birds. Kolkata Port Trust has built walls and protected the area. Mintu Hait carried out his project in Sundarbans as well. He turned his lands into forests. 

Yellow taxi of Kolkata is alive in nostalgia 

The most iconic yellow taxi is losing in the competition of app-based cabs. On top of that, the lockdown had badly affected the taxi drivers. Although many ambassador cabs are still found across the city the demand for yellow taxis has drastically reduced. Some people prefer app-based cabs as they are easily available and are claimed to be comparatively cheaper.

Plant roofed taxi created by Bapi Chakraborty 

Bapi Chakraborty was a common taxi driver but his unique idea of creating a plant roofed taxi made him extraordinary. In 2015, he decorated his cab with real plants. The green roof seized spotlights across the city. But he had to bid goodbye to his amazing cab and it failed to pass the pollution test. He did not step back and was involved in the creation of the green roof of his new cab. He decided to cover the roof in the grass after the deaths of taxi drivers. The green roof is spreading awareness and bringing a positive change in human life. It is setting a beautiful example for other cab drivers.

Should humans be afraid of animals or vice versa?

Initially, Kolkata has witnessed brutal cases of the killing of animals. The cruelest incident was the 16 dead bodies of puppies found in the garbage bags on the premises of NRS Medical College, which is a government-run prestigious hospital. Prantick Chatterjee, animal rights activist said that animals are repeatedly harmed and no proper steps were taken. He added that he would carry on his protests until those criminals are punished. Forests all across the city are cleared in the name of development. The animals are facing a lack of shelter and when they are human residents, they are brutally killed in the name of being dangerous. But the question arises, “who is the more dangerous animal or human being?”

This question gave rise to an eco-warrior named Kiranmoy Das.

Animal rescuer Kalyanmoy Das 

Kalyanmoy Das, a 27 years old Hooghly resident, is an animal rescuer. He rescues animals that accidentally enter houses, in and around Kolkata. He spread awareness about not killing animals. He started this rescue process after an incident. Often snakes were found on his rooftop and once it was a Cobra, naturally, they were afraid and they killed the snake out of fear. But this incident left a deep mark of regret in his life. As a result, he started rescuing animals for the sake of the conservation of wildlife.

Teacher reforming the world with his lessons 

Nur Hossain Mondal is a 32year teacher who could no longer tolerate the spread of plastic waste all over the city. While teaching the students, he realized that people are not at all aware of rising plastic waste. He gathered the less privileged children from different corners of Kolkata and taught them to recycle plastic waste. The children collect the plastic wastes and make flowers or rakhis out of them. This process is helping the environment as well as the students.

There is always a way to create change and beautify the world. All we need to do is to take a step forward and save the world from destruction.