The Sinking Island Ghoramara in Sundarbans

Sundarbans, the name itself connotes beautiful land, full of wildlife and greenery! So, whenever we plan for a holiday in Sundarbans, we visit the wildlife and capture the scenic beauty. And to most of us, it’s the thrill of getting a glimpse of the famous Royal Bengal Tiger and some tribal communities. To some extent, all these go in sync with the present Sundarban but the disparity arises when we talk about the communities living there, the people who have been living there under the constant fear of getting submerged someday!

The sinking island Ghoramara, Sundarban

Ghoramara is one of the 104 islands of Sundarban. It is a tiny vulnerable island covering approximately 5 sq.km area. You will have to travel approximately 90 km by road to reach Lot No 8 in Kakdwip Block from where ferry service is available to Ghoramara Island. There are 4 trawlers that traverse to and fro Ghoramara and Lot No 8 every day. However, the frequency and timing may vary depending on the tide. Usually, it takes 35 to 40 minutes to reach Ghoramara Island from Lot No.8 through the ferry service. But, there is no direct connectivity between Ghoramara and Sagar Island, which is the main resource center for their regular needs. 

On the way from Kolkata to  Lot No.8

With approximately 5000 population, the island is almost isolated from the mainland with no electricity and proper healthcare facilities whereas the nearby Sagar Island can boast of grid electricity and hospitals, schools and colleges. This low lying island has lost around 75% of landmass since last 3 decades and the process still continues! There are around 1100 families residing in this island, of which only 55% households have solar energy for their daily needs. The rest are only dependent on fuel wood for cooking and sunlight to complete their daily activities. So, they usually try to finish up the daily chores before the sunset.

There are 4 mouzas in this GP namely - Khasimara, Baghpara (Sansad 1), Raypara, Hatkhola, Chunpuri (Sansad 2), Mandirtala North (Sansad 3), Mandirtala South (Sansad 4). Among them, Chunpuri and Khasimara are the most vulnerable villages in West and Northern side of the island. In these mouzas, 70% of the population belongs to the SC community and the rest belong to the minority community. 

Lot 8 Jetty Ghat

On the way to Ghoramara from Lot No 8

                                   









The island has been sinking since last 3 decades and the inhabitants, whose lands and houses have gone under water, have mostly shifted to the nearby Sagar Island. The irony is that those who once used to be the owner of 50 to 100 bighas of land in Ghoramara, are now living as Climate refugee in Sagar with hardly any land to cultivate. 
                                                                                   

Shankar Mondal, a Climate refugee from Ghoramara, who is now in his late 80s, shared how he fled to Sagar with his family 3 decades back when a sudden flooding and erosion, washed away all his belongings along with the house and agricultural lands. His wife Manimala Mondal was in her early 20s then and was pregnant with their second child, who is now a fisherman in Sagar. The lady with teary eyes shared how she saw the cattle and goats struggling to get back on the shore when they somehow managed to survive by getting on a boat of their neighbour. They had 80 bighas of land in Ghoramara but now they have only 2 bighas of land, which is also not enough productive compared to their earlier lands. They could not properly educate their children here as it took years for them to settle down in a new place and arrange a stable livelihood. 

At present, Ghoramara has only 4 Primary Schools and only 1 High School for a population of more than 5000. The worst is healthcare facilities, only one Health sub-center with no attending doctor. So, the quack doctors are the only saviours! For any major ailment, they will have to either go to Namkhana or Sagar. To reach, both the places, they will have to cross the river and then travel by road few more kilometers. There is no pucca road within the island and the only mode of transportation is motor or cycle vans. So, if a person is seriously ill or a pregnant woman needs the doctor’s attention, they will have to risk their roads by bumpy roads by van.  

A patient being carried to the boat for getting better
treatment  in Namkhana

If you plan to spend a night in Ghoramara, be prepared with bottled water and torch along with mosquito repeller as there is no electricity and safe bottled water available here. The islanders depend on the Tube wells for drinking water and for other domestic purposes, they avail the pond water, which again gets salinated during coastal flooding in rainy season. Sanitation is also a major concern as most of the households do not have proper toilets. So, they use open fields as toilets. Those who managed to construct a toilet are not aware of how to keep it properly cleaned and hygienic.  

Tube Wells, the only lifeline for the islanders in Ghoramara

Climate change and associated sea level rise is a major environmental concern of whole Sundarban region and Ghoramara is the worst affected among all the inhabitable islands of Indian Sundarban. Frequent cyclones and breaching of embankment lead to huge loss of lives, livelihoods and properties. The major livelihood of these areas is agriculture, aquaculture and Fishing. These are facing severe threat from soil erosion, breach of embankments and loss of landmass.

Burdened by poverty, a large section of the women community has taken up prawn seed collection as their livelihood which causes several ecological and occupational consequences. These women suffer from various skin diseases and gynecological issues for staying long hours in saline water. They also cause a huge loss to the coastal biodiversity. It is reported that about 48 species of juvenile finfish are wasted per net per day per hand, which amounts to about 9.834 kg. While dragging the net, they also destroy the mangrove seedlings by eliminating the possibility of a regeneration of mangroves. 

Prawn seed collector woman

Betelvine is a major cash crop here as most of the households are involved with this cultivation either at their own yard or someone else’s. However, the effects of climate change haven’t spared betelvine too. Being a very sensitive crop, betelvine requires humid condition and frequent watering, which is very tough to maintain considering the rising temperature and erratic rainfalls. The changing climate also arise the risk of various diseases in the betel leaves and the farmers can’t afford to have proper remedy in advance. They use chemical pesticide which in turn causes various health hazards and investment of money too. 

Betelvine yard

Lack of awareness about basic healthcare among the coastal communities makes them prone to various climate induced disease.  But, they survive in this sinking island with the hope of things getting better in the coming days. Some of the families living near the embankment area are under huge threat of being washed away anytime but they do not wish to leave the place. One of the resident says, “Where will we go living our birthplace, we don’t know anything else than fishing and agriculture, who will give us job? If we die here, then it will be our destiny and if survive then by God’s grace!”

The fishermen community here is losing hope day by day as the fish catch has lowered manifold in last few years. They say that the river water has got polluted, salinity has increased and deep sea trawlers have started entering their territory. So, the smaller fishermen are in dire crunch of fishes, which is leading them to huge debt and some also commit suicide being unable to repay the debt.

A small fishermen preparing to go for fishing

Ghoramara is only 4 and half hours away from the ‘City of Joy’ Kolkata but for the islanders, the feeling of joy is far away considering the present scenario! Researchers and several organizations are well aware of the situation as they have been there for their research works and data collection. However, the situation doesn’t change for the sinking island and its inhabitants. They have almost lost hope and accepted it as their fate. 

Hope against hope!

However, among all these rich culture still survives in these villages. Women are wonderfully carrying forward their folk culture and art works. The young women are skilled in zari works and men can weave fish nets and various other items sitting idly near the river banks.  

Zari work by the women of Sundarban's Ghoramara Island

If you’re an avid traveller, who loves to explore unusual places, then definitely visit Ghoramara once to have a glimpse of the soul of the survivors!