Environment Population And Human Settlements Of Sundarban Delta

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Dr. Anuradha Banerjee has presented a holistic approach to the study of human settlements in the less studied Sundarban Delta. She has used a blend of theoretical and empirical information, as well as the latest analytical methods. Dr. Banerjee has graduated with honours.

in Geography from Lady Brabourne College, Calcutta University. She has also to her credit a Master of Arts degree in Geography, followed by a Master of Philosophy from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. A research fellow of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research during 1988-1993, she had also been awarded with a Doctor of Philosophy from JNU. She belongs to the fraternity of Social Scientists, the thrust of her research being Population and Human Settlements. Her research line also includes Human Ecology, Environment, Resource Studies, Social Development, Women and Child Development and Participatory Research. She has worked in the project "Impact of Sea Level Rise Due to Green House Effect- West Bengal and Orissa Coasts" sponsored by Department of Environment and Forests, Government of India during 1991-1992. She has also been associated in various capacities with voluntary organisations. She is a life member of Institute of Landscape, Ecology and Ekistics, Calcutta; Indian Association for the Study of Population, and The Geographical Society of India.

At present the author is working as a consultant in the Human Resource Development area of the National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi.

As the world community moves into the 21st century and mankind is really concerned about "Sustainable human settlements", the Sundarbarf Delta provides a unique case of fragile balance between man, environment and his habitat. Till recent past Sundarban was thought to be a fearful land comprising of innumerable islands, creeks, tidal forests, wild animals and natural calamities, that have played havoc time and again and had wiped off traces of ancient civilizations and famous ports. It is a lesser region of the country, irrespective of its natural resource base, and it's close proximity with the Calcutta metropolis.

Against such a backdrop, the book provides an all-comprehensive view of this deltaic littoral, the peculiar components of its natural environment, population resources, and human settlements based on a detailed data base of both secondary sources and an extensive field work. Latest analytical tools and cartographic methods have been adopted for analysing human settlements.

The book is organised into six chapters. Chapter One introduces the concepts, the region, the research design and methodology. Chapter Two focuses on the natural environment of the region.

Chapter Three portrays the population profile of the region. Chapter Four deals with the settlement pattern of the region.

Chapter Five focuses on the inter-regional pattern and characteristics of human settlements, based on the 200 surveyed villages. The quality of human settlements have been measured at the end.

Chapter Six is based on population and settlements, a micro-level analysis of 400 households. The author also investigates the quality of housing at the end of this section.

Finally, to conclude, the author recom- mends 14 points of improvement. The goal of sustainability and peoples participation has been called for.

The deltaic West Bengal or Sundarbans is one of the least studied areas of the country. It is a difficult terrain with lesser influence of civilization, settlement and development; and it also attracted lesser attention of the academicians. Hence, the attempt made by Dr. Anuradha Banerjee is unique and commendable. Since this area is less explored and the official records are scanty, the observations have to be made based on fieldwork as well.

For geographers or environmental scientists, the Sundarban is unique. It is a challenge for them. The present study of human settlements in extremely interesting because it deals with human adjustments in partly stable and partly unstable environmental con- ditions. The Indian part of the Sundarbans falls in the South 24-Parganas district of West Bengal. There are several physical and human factors, which have influenced the present status of human settlements. The Imperial Gazetteer noted in 1908 that 'the process of land making has not yet ceased and where morasses and swamps, now gradually filling up, abound'. The wild animals of the area, including tigers, crocodiles and snakes were dangerous to human habitation. Further, the region was also infested with pirates which caused depopulation. Rennell's map of Lower Bengal (1772) shows this area as depopulated by the Maghs (pirates). Frequent cyclones have also come in the way of permanent settlements. Nevertheless, some areas were reclaimed and brought under cultivation by the coolies from the neighbouring districts of undivided Bengal. How- ever, some areas were transformed to reserved or protected forests. Later these areas became tiger reserves, world heritage sites and biosphere reserves. The Sundarbans are claimed to be the largest estuarine forests in the world.

The imperial powers had to pass through the Sundarbans to reach their destinations or footholds in India. Some of these were Calcutta, Hugli, Bandel and Chandannagar. From the 18th century the importance of Calcutta grew. This city in the north was con- nected with this region by all possible means, e.g. roads, railhead and canals. Due to such development, several outposts of civilization grew up in this inhospitable area. Some of these settlements are now in Bangladesh. The revenue history clearly reveals the initial diffi- culties in having settlements here. The region has a vast network of creeks and channels forming islands of different shapes and sizes.

The selection of the study area is important, as it is full of varieties in terms of location in relation to Calcutta metropolis, environment and economy. Unfortunately, it took so long to under- take a systematic study on human settlements. This volume should help in filling the void. For this investigation the author has used all possible sources, which includes census reports, district gazet- teers, official reports, topographical maps and the NATMO publi- cations. This was supported by extensive fieldwork based on ques- tionnaires. A detailed household survey was designed with sample strength of about 400 covering 36 villages well spread over active and stable Delta. Quantitative and cartographic techniques have been judiciously used to process the data and to present the findings as well.

With bountiful natural resources, the Sundarbans constitute one of the most fragile environmental zones of the country representing a delicate balance between man and nature. The region provides a unique case where land evolution and human occupancy is proceed- ing hand in hand. The innumerable creeks and islands, deltaic es- tuaries, mangrove forests, wild life varieties, tidal complicacies shaping the daily lifestyle, frequent visits of natural catastrophes; all provide a maze to the environmental and social scientist.

The aim of this study is to provide a systematic and all com- prehensive view of this challenging, maritime country, the peculiar components of the natural environment, the population resources and how these in turn have shaped the various components and pattern of human settlements. The study is supportive of an intensive fieldwork covering even the end limit of human habitation in the margin of the Biosphere Reserve of the Sundarban forests. The inter- regional human settlement pattern is based on 200 surveyed villages equally distributed over the active and stable portions of the Delta. The in-depth household characteristics have been based on a survey of 400 households. The quality of human settlements as well as the quality of life has been also ascertained. Based on these realities certain recommendations aiming at sustainable human settlements have also been forwarded.

The interest for this area stemmed up during my M.Phil. research, "Natural and Human Resources of the Coastal Districts of India: A Geographical Analysis". At a later date, I had been working for a project, "Impact of Sea Level Rise Due to Green House Effect- West Bengal and Orissa Coasts" sponsored by the Department of Environment and Forests, Government of India. Further my geographical excursions to the Sundarbans gave me a visual exposure to the prevailing state of human settlements and environmental constraints, in these parts.

**Contents and Sample Pages**