Wetland

The early morning mist

Has dissolved in the sun’s generosity;

The green surface –

An undisturbed mirror

Reflects my city’s skyward growth

 

And yet, I cannot believe

This is the city’s waste

An Eden,

A wetland of wonder

A Ramsar jewel of sewage dreams

 

My city

Has a green philosopher’s stone

In its eastern edge

That takes in the worst

And yet gives back the best

 

The mirror is disturbed –

The morning seems to awake

Piscine rings breathe life –

While a kingfisher darts,

Kree-kree-kree

A cormorant swims

Like a snake in the water;

A lone fisherman

Emerges from nowhere

He has caught a couple of fish

 

‘Done already?’ I ask

‘This is enough babu,’

He smiles, and walks

My city’s skyline

Begins to blur in the haze of day…

 

The East Kolkata Wetlands are a remarkable 12,500-hectare ecosystem on the eastern edge of Kolkata, recognised as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. Their network of sewage-fed fisheries, locally known as bheris, uses Kolkata's wastewater as a source of nutrients for fish cultivation, while wetlands and agricultural land help naturally treat the water. The system supports thousands of livelihoods and provides fish and vegetables to the city—an extraordinary example of a living landscape turning urban waste into food, work and ecological life.

28th August 2026