Lakshmi Sivaramakrishnan (p), Ranita Karmakar

Saptarshi Mitra

Abstract
High population density, subpar housing, and a strong association with poverty are characteristics of urban slums, which are complex environments subject to socioeconomic forces. The Calcutta Municipal Corporation, now renamed Kolkta Municipal Corporation since 2001, has played a crucial role in categorising and overseeing these settlements, differentiating them as either registered or unregistered depending on land ownership. Since 1980, the management has implemented an initiative to provide registered slums to inhabitants through rental or leasing agreements. However, unregistered slums tend to arise on unauthorised property. The research explores the ever-changing environment of slum communities, with a specific focus on their strong determination and resourceful approaches while dealing with disasters. Disasters, which refer to abrupt or significant calamities causing widespread destruction, are classified into two categories: natural and societal. The study offers a thorough analysis of how slum dwellers effectively handle calamities, highlighting their resourceful tactics and innovative solutions. The research employs a comprehensive approach to examine many factors that contribute to community resilience and the distinct innovations that emerge in response to difficulties. The research paper aims to enhance comprehension of the capacities and possibilities for constructive transformation of these groups by clarifying their narratives. This highlights the importance of acknowledging and strengthening the innate capacity of slum communities to recover and adjust in the face of calamities, thus creating a path towards a more inclusive and resilient urban future.
Keywords: urban slums, socio-economic forces, community resilience, disaster management.

Sumana Bandyopadhyay (p)

Lakshmi Sivaramakrishnan

Cities have multidimensional planning challenges – conservation of ecosystems is one. Natural ecosystems are progressively affected by urban functions – in extraction of resources, in accumulating waste, increasing pollution and energy consumption. Some of the largest metropolitan cities of the world are located in or around water-based ecosystems (rivers, lakes, coasts and wetlands), and consequently, their conservation has been a critical dimension of planning in these cities. This study focuses upon Kolkata, a megacity located in deltaic West Bengal. The city had 12000 hectares of wetlands to its east, constituting an intrinsic water-based ecology in the deltaic region. Over decades, the eastern wetlands and its intrinsic drainage network, have borne the pressures of urban growth. While unprecedented unplanned and haphazard growth has affected this ecosystem, there are also numerous development projects that belong to the “planned” domain. This has led to a steady decline in wetland area and its associated ecosystem services. As most development projects are responses to human needs, a “for the people” argument takes precedence over every reason to conserve wetlands. This paper aims to assess the role of institutions in governance of this critical urban entity. An overview of policy perspectives and institution building reveals adequate prioritization in policy initiation, but repeated failures to protect wetlands and water bodies seem to indicate the lack of a holistic approach. In many cities, peoples active participation at different levels of planning, as well as protest movements have helped steer existing institutions, as well as to create new institutions. Such processes have also led to the creation of Local Environmental Institutions (LEI’s). The attempt of this study to look at wetland conservation through the lens of people’s participation, is a precursor to the proposal for robust institution building. It is noted that citizens have engaged in different modes of participation and protest across wetlands and water bodies of Kolkata. An analysis of select case studies of people's participation reveal strong linkages between access to political power and realization of ecological benefits. Unresponsive institutions have resulted in citizens increasingly turning to public interest litigations, whose steady rise reveals the exigencies. Further, the system also fails to address the conservation issues through litigation, as there is no ecological sensitization among legal professionals to enable them to make correct interventions. A process of stakeholder sensitization, awareness and education must be undertaken for conservation of urban wetlands.

Saptarshi Mitra (p)

Sumana Bandyopadhyay

Rudrasagar wetland exemplifies profoundly useful environments and highly productive ecosystems, providing enormous resources and services to communities living in the adjacent area as well as to communities living beyond the geographical confines of the wetland area. Rudrasagar Wetland is located in the western fringes of Tripura, situated in Sepahijala District, covering a surface area of about 2.8 km2, and is a freshwater lake that was declared a Ramsar site. The livelihood of the surrounding areas is largely dependent on it. Therefore, the current study attempts to analyse the pivotal role of Rudrasagar wetland in supporting the livelihoods of the people residing in its vicinity. The catchment area is mainly characterised by agriculture, plantations, and other economic activities. In addition, this wetland also has immense potential for development as a tourism destination. Formal group discussions and survey methods have been used to learn how the Rudrasagar wetland contributes to sustainable rural livelihoods. Parameters such as educational attainment, resource accessibility, the number of dependents, and proximity to the wetland have been examined due to their significant influence on livelihoods. The respondent reported that people's dependence has shifted from fishing to farming and other professions for encroachment, degradation, and depletion of aquatic resources.