Celebrations, Partnerships and Outreach - West Bengal

• World Environment Day

CEE East celebrated World Environment Day with students from Tiljala High School and from Aasrya Sadan, Shelter home. Aasrya Sadan is an institutional care home for children of rag picker families from Kolkata looked after by Tiljala Shed, a registered NGO. The students were made aware on significance of ,‘Connecting with Nature’ and encouraged the young children to save the environment.

On spot drawing competition based on theme ‘My Dream City- Kolkata’ was also held for these children. The young participants were encouraged to recite poems, share stories and experiences related to nature. The children planted fruit tree saplings (guava, mango, lemon etc) within the premises shelter home and pledged to take care of the plants.

• World Wetland Day

CEE Kolkata observed World Wetlands Day with 85 participants (including students) at Akshar School. The school had organized an organic haat within the campus on the same day and an awareness session on Wetlands (focus on East Kolkata Wetlands) and its importance was conducted by CEE East team. The emphasis was on taking small steps that each one could take towards conservation. A quiz competition was conducted which had the enthusiastic participation of students, educators and stall owners on significant and their knowledge on existing Kolkata wetland system.

• World Water Day

CEE East celebrated World Water Day amidst 40 farmers at the Sagar Shanti Sporting Club in Uchopota, Khanaberia at Dhapa- an expired landfill site. The students and teacher representative from Baidyapara High School shared their ongoing actions in school towards conserving ground water by harvesting rain water during rainy season. CEE used flipcharts, posters to draw the attention towards the need to conserve water and harvest and use rainwater whenever possible. The farmers shared about the harvest they have been producing and stressing on the problem of water scarcity between January-May period. The programme culminated with distribution of zeoline bottles to the local farmers.

• Prakriti Sanrakshan Sankalp Diwas

CEE East conducted the “Prakriti Sanrakshan Sankalp Diwas” at Gandhi Ghat, Farakka, West Bengal. The programme was conducted to sensitize the people living near Ganga ghats on the significance of keeping our rivers clean and motivate them to take actions to protect environment so that Uttarakhand tragedy due to flash flood can be reduced to some extent. Around 400 local people were part of the programme , where various talks and oath for keeping our river and ghat clean was taken. A drawing competition for school children was also organized as part of the programme along with plantation of saplings of five local flora species (teak, jackfruit, shegun, shishoo and raintree.) at banks of Ganga. CEE emphasized on the need to keep Ganga flow without obstruction and thus let it breathe. Expert from Central Water Commission , Paschim Bango Vigyan Manch, Farraka Barage project also on the need to safeguard the banks of the river Ganga and not to exploit river banks. The participants also took pledge, which consisted of five ways to save Ganga and make it pollution free. The CEE East team also developed and distributed Bangla educational materials on Saving Ganga to the participants. CEE East also facilitated WAPCOS team to arrange the Nabadwip Sankalp diwas programme in West Bengal.