I t was the year 2018. The Gaja cyclone had just entered the delta region of Tamil Nadu causing havoc and damage everywhere as it passed. Trees were uprooted, homes were shattered, electric poles had been ripped off and aspirations were destroyed.

It was in this horror of natural calamity that mangroves of Muthphet Mangrove Forest proved to be a boon as they protected the residing terrestrial life against the raging cyclone.

“Mangroves acted as a shield and sacrificed themselves to save us”, said the local villagers as they watched teary-eyed, the endless fallen trees in their surroundings after the cyclone had resided.

No doubt, mangroves serve as a bridge between terrestrial and marine environments. Extremely productive ecosystems, they are habitat to a great variety of marine and terrestrial life. Muthupet Mangrove Forest is one of the many ecosystems of Point Calimere Wetland Complex serving as home to a plethora of birds, mammals, aquatic life, and multiple mangrove species. These act as water purifiers, storm barriers, and shore stabilizers.

When the Gaja cyclone made landfall in the area in 2018, most of the canals got silted up with fallen trees making it difficult for the fishermen to access the canals. Due to siltation, the freshwater and saltwater interface got obstructed, and the natural regrowth of mangroves in the area would take years.

It was here that Ms. Arsh Saluja, a architecture student hailing from Bhopal decided to step into the picture and change the things around for the inhabitants of Point Calimere by improving the fishermen’s income by strengthening Sustainable Fishing Practices and promoting mangrove conservation through Traditional Fishing Canal Restoration.

“Traditional knowledge also needs to be combined with scientific knowledge to improve adaptation and mitigation efforts from increasing the risk of disasters and climate change effects in the region”

Ms. Arsh Saluja

Arsh Saluja interacting with the community members

She has visioned the following objectives for her 12-month long mission.

• To understand the transfer of ownership, present status, and length of the 128 defunct canals.
• To identify the factors for prioritizing 35 canals and analyze the willingness of owners for restoration of canals and conservation of mangroves.
• To ascertain sustainability by ensuring community contribution in restoration by promoting Fishermen’s Group and carrying out the restoration process.
• To identify potential people for mangrove plantation.

Her Progress So far.

She has made significant progress so far with outcomes. The fishermen groups have been instituted in three villages constituting the fishermen fishing in the canals. The beneficiaries from these groups have been identified based on the individuals’ status, willingness to maintain the canals for the long term, and the present status of the canals, with completely defunct canals given priority.

“The restoration shall start in the second week of April and needs to be finished by mid-April to avoid any risk due to seasonality and local wind patterns”, she said with hope in her heart.

Traditional fishing canals in Muthupet Mangroves, Thambikottai Reserve Forest.

The maintenance of the canals needs to be ascertained for the long term, for which she has planned awareness sessions for disseminating traditional knowledge of the fishermen community to the youth of the villages.

“Traditional knowledge also needs to be combined with scientific knowledge to improve adaptation and mitigation efforts from increasing the risk of disasters and climate change effects in the region”, she asserted.