Visit to East Kolkata Wetlands by the students of M. C. Kejriwal Vidyapeeth

Published on: 18 Aug 2023

The Geography Department of M. C. Kejriwal Vidyapeeth in collaboration with Switch On Foundation organized a field trip for the students of Class 8 to East Kolkata Wetlands on 17 and 18 August 2023.

During the trip, Mr Sourjo Chowdhury and Ms Anneshya Purkait introduced the students to the various efforts that are being taken up in and around Kolkata for the conservation of wetlands. The students were given the opportunity to visit the agricultural lands and aquaculture ponds. Boys were made aware about how the wetlands benefit Kolkata, namely, processing its sewage ‘free of charge’, protecting it against floods, and how it also functions as a fertile aquatic garden. This recycling of sewage water is what makes Kolkata the most affordable metropolitan city in the country. Students were also briefed about the threats that the wetlands are facing with urbanization, changes in the quality and quantity of solid waste, sewer, and most importantly human neglect.

The experiential trip ended with a fun quiz to assess the learnings gathered from the excursion and group discussions to find solutions for the challenges faced by wetlands, followed by a presentation on the necessity of wetlands in the biosphere. Our students were also awarded with token of appreciations for their active participation.

The visit to the wetlands definitely increased knowledge and understanding about the need of its conservation among our students and we look forward for them to work together to create long-term conservation strategies for wetlands.