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M. Goswami and S. Nautiyal
5 Aquatic Resource and Livelihoods
Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems. Wetlands are essential for the
numerous benefits or “ecosystem services” that they provide, ranging from freshwater supply, food and building materials and biodiversity, to flood control, groundwater
recharge and climate change mitigation. Among the 14 villages surrounding the wetland, more than 22.63% people depends on wetland resources for their livelihoods,
around 50% is dependent on wetland for fodder and cattle grazing, and 17.3% partially depends on the wetland for their livelihoods (Aranyak 2003). It left out only
10% people of those villages who are not dependent on natural resources of the
wetland for their livelihoods. The wetland is enriched with more than 60 fish species
among which eight are listed as endangered. The wetland also serves as a major
breeding ground that supplies fish to all nearby waterbodies. The total economic
return from the wetland in terms of biodiversity goods is more than Rs. 20 crore per
annum (Saikia and Saikia 2011).
Wetlands come under threat from industrial effluent discharge, sewage disposal,
solid waste dumping, invasive species and encroachments. Water Hyacinth is a
widespread alien species that cause significant ecological damage, and growth is
promoted by nutrients supplied by municipal sewage and agricultural runoff. It has
also potential to be economically important if it is harvested. As a result of sewage
discharge and growth of aquatic weeds like water hyacinth, the lake has been undergoing a speedy eutrophication process which consequently shallowing up the lake
bed converting water spread area to land area. There have been instances of land
mafia who are trying to grab the land in the low-lying areas and filling them with
soil to use those for development. Border security forces housing complex, mother
Teresa hospital, Artfed Industrial complex, etc. is constructed in the swampy area
of the lake. A number of temporary farmhouses, brick kilns and other commercial
establishments have threatened the existence of natural resources; allotment of government land to private parties for development has encouraged this unwanted change
(Mondal and Sharma 2011). With the progress of time during the last three decades,
the wetland has been fragmented by detachment from each other due to vegetation
growth, encroachment etc.
Deepor beel provides direct as well as indirect benefits to 14 villages and more
than 1200 families are directly dependent on fishing and collection of herbaceous
plants (Saikia et al. 2014). The survey shows the villages close to the city those
are predominantly inhabited by scheduled class people have ancestral right (60.6%)
over the wetland to do fishing (Table 2). Among them, 23.44% holds formal permits
to do fishing in the lake. The community from medium urban region mostly go for
community fishing during festivals although it has been banned under the Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1972, in 2009 by district administration. The high urban villages
are most likely to be affected by the deterioration of the lake ecosystem because
of urban activities. The low urban community goes for fishing mostly for domestic
consumption (74.44%) which is also not regular. They comprehend domestic sewage
M. Goswami and S. Nautiyal
5 Aquatic Resource and Livelihoods
Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems. Wetlands are essential for the
numerous benefits or “ecosystem services” that they provide, ranging from freshwater supply, food and building materials and biodiversity, to flood control, groundwater
recharge and climate change mitigation. Among the 14 villages surrounding the wetland, more than 22.63% people depends on wetland resources for their livelihoods,
around 50% is dependent on wetland for fodder and cattle grazing, and 17.3% partially depends on the wetland for their livelihoods (Aranyak 2003). It left out only
10% people of those villages who are not dependent on natural resources of the
wetland for their livelihoods. The wetland is enriched with more than 60 fish species
among which eight are listed as endangered. The wetland also serves as a major
breeding ground that supplies fish to all nearby waterbodies. The total economic
return from the wetland in terms of biodiversity goods is more than Rs. 20 crore per
annum (Saikia and Saikia 2011).
Wetlands come under threat from industrial effluent discharge, sewage disposal,
solid waste dumping, invasive species and encroachments. Water Hyacinth is a
widespread alien species that cause significant ecological damage, and growth is
promoted by nutrients supplied by municipal sewage and agricultural runoff. It has
also potential to be economically important if it is harvested. As a result of sewage
discharge and growth of aquatic weeds like water hyacinth, the lake has been undergoing a speedy eutrophication process which consequently shallowing up the lake
bed converting water spread area to land area. There have been instances of land
mafia who are trying to grab the land in the low-lying areas and filling them with
soil to use those for development. Border security forces housing complex, mother
Teresa hospital, Artfed Industrial complex, etc. is constructed in the swampy area
of the lake. A number of temporary farmhouses, brick kilns and other commercial
establishments have threatened the existence of natural resources; allotment of government land to private parties for development has encouraged this unwanted change
(Mondal and Sharma 2011). With the progress of time during the last three decades,
the wetland has been fragmented by detachment from each other due to vegetation
growth, encroachment etc.
Deepor beel provides direct as well as indirect benefits to 14 villages and more
than 1200 families are directly dependent on fishing and collection of herbaceous
plants (Saikia et al. 2014). The survey shows the villages close to the city those
are predominantly inhabited by scheduled class people have ancestral right (60.6%)
over the wetland to do fishing (Table 2). Among them, 23.44% holds formal permits
to do fishing in the lake. The community from medium urban region mostly go for
community fishing during festivals although it has been banned under the Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1972, in 2009 by district administration. The high urban villages
are most likely to be affected by the deterioration of the lake ecosystem because
of urban activities. The low urban community goes for fishing mostly for domestic
consumption (74.44%) which is also not regular. They comprehend domestic sewage