Let’s save our wetlands

“Leaving no one behind” is a commitment of Sustainable Development Goals 2030. However, the planning and implementation of National and State level plans and policies often oversee on-ground conditions and are perceived differently across different groups of communities. Grassroot organizations can act as a bridge between planners and the communities, to ensure equitable service delivery and leverage community led actions. Trisanki and Mayuri speak to Enakshi Dutta about grassroot level participation in sustainability programmes, projects and policies. Enakshi supports organizations and social entrepreneurs to develop, sustain and promote peoples issues and mobilize resources for the development of the north eastern region of India. She is currently the director of Institute of Development Action (IDeA), an organisation which supports & organises the efforts of civil society to hasten the pace of development in the Northeast Region.

Water is essential for human life but millions in India do not have access to safe drinking water. One of the contaminants of groundwater is Arsenic, a metalloid naturally present in Earth’s crust. Some regions have much higher arsenic concentrations than others due to geological and anthropogenic activities, and this can be problematic. A 2011 survey found 17 districts in Assam with arsenic contamination. Titabor subdivision, comprising 20 gaon panchayats, was the most affected. In this episode we speak to Prithvi Ram, a researcher working on critical issues related to water resources management in south Asia in general and arsenic contamination in Titabor in particular.

NE India shows a promising capacity to develop itself sustainably. With the climate crisis looming over our head and NE India having a fragile ecosystem, it is imperative that we take actions for development but without harming our future generations. In this episode, Trisanki and Mayuri discusses some pertinent challenges and opportunities  to achieve sustainable development in the region with Supriya.

Dhriti is a climate science researcher, with expertise in natural disasters and climate change adaptation. She is from Guwahati and has been involved in various work related to climate proofing and capacity building of people. In this episode, Trisanki and Mayuri discuss about climate vulnerabilities and pathways for climate action in Northeast India with Dhriti Pathak.

Priyanka is an entrepreneur and an advocate for a slow lifestyle. She is from Jorhat, Assam and is currently working on her enterprises – Noi Mohi and Slowly Purvanchal. In this episode we discuss the slow lifestyle, sustainable fashion and its associated components with Priyanka Kaushik.

In today’s episode we speak to 2 young researchers from NEDA on wetlands, their importance, the threats they face and the solutions we have.