How Kolkata's Magical Wetlands Turn Waste Into Life and Livelihoods

How Kolkata's Magical Wetlands Turn Waste Into Life and Livelihoods

How Kolkata's Magical Wetlands Turn Waste Into Life and Livelihoods On a humid afternoon in West Bengal, amidst the gentle rustle of mango trees and the vibrant green of towering palms, Gagan Das prepares a rich mixture of groundnut and mustard meal in a large metal drum. Standing just fifteen miles away from the bustling, energetic heart of Kolkata, it feels astonishing to witness such a tranquil, rural scene filled with fruit-laden branches and shaded embankments. Das expertly fills a feeding trough with his pungent concoction and wades into the refreshing, nutrient-rich water of his aquaculture pond. His fingerlings are growing rapidly, and thanks to this carefully prepared organic feed, he expects them to fatten up remarkably fast. Pisciculture here is exceptionally profitable because Kolkata possesses an insatiable, prodigious appetite for the diverse freshwater carp that local farmers rear. This year, Das leased two productive ponds, locally known as bheris, for roughly nine …