Wetlands for life

By Achyut Raj Adhikari

Wetland comprises 6.2% of world’s total land area. Survival of human civilization is intimately linked with wetlands since about 4500 BC. Wetlands are lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or land is covered by shallow water. Any land to be wetlands must have one or more of following three attributes : 1) at least periodically, the land supports predominantly hydrophytes, 2) the substrate should be undrained hydric soil (wet soils), and 3) the substrate is non soil and is saturated with water or covered by shallow water at sometime during the growing season of each year. The over exploitation of wetlands causes loosening of its sustainability. Altogether 25-50% of the earth’s wetlands have been already destroyed.

Wetlands provide a unique habitat for a wide variety of flora and fauna. Wetlands are usually useful as sources, sinks and transformers of a magnitude of chemical, biological and genetic materials. Many of the preserved fossil fuels on which we depend now are really from the swampy environment of the carboniferous period. "One preserved human body over 2000 years old, known as the Tollund Man was discovered in a peat bog in Denmark in 1950 with skin, whiskers and fingernails intact". The analysis of pollen and macrofossils from peat soil from all over the world has enabled scientists to determine historical vegetation changes and climatic variations as well as human impacts on the landscape as for back as 275,000 years age". So undisturbed wetlands are thus a time machine to past conditions.

Wetlands, the most productive ecosystem on earth, are sometimes described as the "kidneys of the palnet" (James 1995). Because they cleanse the water from sediments, chemicals and other pollutants that pass through them of. Many countries are using wetlands as a site for sewage treatment. They are sometimes referred as "Nature’s civil Engineer" by providing effective system of flood control and protecting from soil erosion. Because of the extensive food webs and rich diversity of plant and animals, scientists recognized wetlands as a "Biological supermarket". Everyone should realize that wetlands because of its specific values for maintaining the genetic and ecological diversity of any region.

Wetland in Nepal is known as "sim sar" where sim is derivative of Persian word ‘sin’ means low-grade land which is not suitable for cultivation; ‘sar’ is a Sanskrit word meaning water. Nepal, being a mountainous country, also comprises various types of wetlands such as - rivers, lakes, floodplains, swamps, marshes, ponds, reservoir and paddy fields. Wetland comes about 7437 sq. km. or approximately 5% of the total area of our country (Shrestha, 95).

According to IUCN- (The World Conservation Union) 163 wetland sites have been identified in Terai region only, where 38% of wetlands found in the far western development region and large number of wetland sites are represented by lakes and ponds (48%).

For the preservation of wetlands globally, The Ramsar Convention was held in Iran on 2nd Feb, 1987. Every signatory country should have at least one wetland of International importance so that Koshi Tappu region of eastern Terai was listed as The Ramsar Site on 17th April, 1987. Altogether 134 species of fish and 365 species of birds have been listed only from Koshi Tappu wetlands (Sah, 1997). More than 3% of Nepal’s total reported plants are found in wetlands have been carried out by IUCN but the works on Midland wetlands are not explored. Besides Koshi Tappu, Bishazar Tal in Chitwan, Ghodaghdi Tal in Kailali, Khaste and Dipang lake in Pokhara are other hot spot of Nepal’s wetland (Adhikari, 2001).

In case of our country, wetlands can be agronomically utilized for production of food, non-food crops, medicinal plants and other aquatic plants. Still, fishing is being a common practice frequently. But on these days, Nepal’s wetland are facing degradation mainly due to eutrophication and anthropogenic activities as well.

A Hand of Friendship

Know Ajeet Cour, the famed Indian litterateur and president of Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature, with Somesh Verma

Language, the easiest means of communication for humans. Strange that the same, sometimes, becomes a hurdle in communicating, in exchange of ideas (tried talking in your mothertongue to someone who only knows Chinese or Japanese?).

Given so many languages and their practitioners, sometimes it appears as if communication may someday be limited to people who follow the same language. Imagining the day itself appears frightening. What a day it would be, when we wouldn’t be able to understand anyone else’s ideas, and they would hardly be aware of what we are thinking.

But somehow, when you feel that the things might come to a dead end, there’s some opening somewhere. Something which leads us into believing that the problems would be taken care of before they really surface (hasn’t e-mailing reduced our telephone costs and time lost through air mail?).

Just when we see people fighting for religion and language, we come across some who are willing to devote their time to heal, willing to build bridges between people. One such person is Ajeet Cour, a woman of 60 odd years, an Indian writer and the president of Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature, the organisation which aims to bring the writers of the region together to spread the spirit of regionalism.

A Gyanapith award winner (the highest literary award in India), she has ventured into bringing the writers of the region together out of sheer passion. "I’m doing it out of madness," she’d tell you. You better believe it, for she has that conviction in her eyes. Many did call her mad when she went out to organise an Indo-Pak writers conference in Delhi in 1987, when Indo-Pak relations were far from ‘friendly’.

As the conference of SAARC writers is due on September 20, 21 and 22, she is busy shuttling between Kathmandu and Delhi (where she lives). Ask her what gets her into this and she’d tell you how she lost one of her daughters (the other one is famous Indian painter Aparna Cour), something that made her realise the importance of compassion in life. And if you notice her eyes, you’ll see them trying to locate her lost possession, both close and dear.

"As you grow old, your sense of time improves. Some become quarrelsome, while some become very soft because they think that time is going by, they might have to get off the train any moment. So they want to provide as much happiness to others as possible," she philosophises. Sorrow is visible in her voice, when she talks like this. Some say she talks a lot, but the truth is: she hardly misses any detail, proof enough that she is a celebrated writer.

Being a writer, that too among the best, means that she has to be versatile in portraying all the moods, all the emotions. If sorrow prevails on her face one moment, smile follows the next second. Cracking jokes is something she seems fond of. For when she was talking to this scribe, phone bell rang, it was her celebrity painter daughter. One could hear her telling the caller, "Right now I’m talking to the chief reporter of The Kathmandu Post." When reminded by this scribe that he was just a reporter and being a chief is too high an honour for him, she retorted, "Come on, I was just trying to impress my daughter." Spontaneity, any answers to that?

The conference starting September 20th would be the fifth SAARC writers’ conference. The first one was held in New Delhi, India (April 2000) followed by Kathmandu, Nepal (November 2000); Dhaka, Bangladesh (March 2001) and New Delhi (November 2001) again. The organisation, hardly a toddler now, has been an effective tool in bringing together the peace-loving people (read writers and poets) across the region, which is otherwise involved in conflicts too many.

"There is lot of ill will between the governments but deep sense of friendship exists among the people," she reflects upon the people of India-Pakistan in particular and people across the region in general. "Somehow that friendship and feeling of goodwill should come to surface."

A meeting with her makes you learn, as you feel that she hasn’t stopped learning even at this age. In the first meeting with this scribe, she remarked, "Oh, you look like a college going boy." When told that his study days are yet not over, she calmly replied, "As long as you’re learning, college never ends. I’m in the sixth grade for that matter." A calmness that makes you comfortable, comfortable to chat, comfortable to interact and comfortable to learn wisdom.

The warmth with which she greets you, everyone in fact, is remarkable. She speaks in Hindi, but tells you that she wants some of her works translated in Nepali. A feeling of reaching across the man-made boundaries, with a hand of friendship, carrying love for the fellow brethren. At the end of the meeting, that too at breakfast, you just start your day thinking, "Why are there so few people like her?"

Blind Faith at Hyatt

They play a mix of numbers from nostalgic hits to contemporary music etc. From country music to rock and heavy metal, the musical band caters to a wide range of audience.

By Sanchita

It’s again Saturday Night Fever at the Hyatt. This is another attempt to highlight the local talents as Rox has features a new musical band, Blind Faith. They play a mix of numbers from nostalgic hits to contemporary music etc. From country music to rock and heavy metal, the musical band caters to a wide range of audience.While talking to Prerna Rai, Communications Manager at the Hyatt about the Saturday night fever, she says, "the Rox bar has always recognized and encouraged the local bands in Nepal - the potential is incredible". It was all impossible to resist.

If you have some time to lose, try to find some interesting melody, you’ll find a lot of appreciations for Blind Faith before anyone hears a single note from the band. As said, the music was louder and the voice was breathtaking. Could it have been any better? Yes, surely the whole party came alive after the Safi Queen contests arrived, despite the beautiful models having their own crowd to ogle at. This was evident by the number of guys peering over in their slightly tipsy state to see where the next potential Miss Safi Queen 2002 might be around.

Overall, it was fantastic event that was worth going to and we wish there were more of it. With the introduction of Blind Faith on Saturday nights, live music, a strong focus at the bar is a conscious decision to cater to the changing demand of the clients. If you are looking for a chance to get together informally, then hurry up.

SECOND-PAGE | RECOLLECTIONS