Water
The Sound of Silence project off an initiative in February 2024 to equip smartphone-enabled teenagers in tribal village communities in the Indian Sundarbans with the necessary storytelling and community engagement skills to undertake a photovoice project, with the aim to empower them to document their experiences, amplify their voices in articulating their needs, problems, and aspirations, and contribute to positive change within their communities in the face of climate-induced challenges.
To start off the photovoice initiative, an exercise to gauge the existing willingness and capacity among the youth to use photovoice was carried out. The youths’ groups were asked to document through pictures and accompanying captions what issues and challenges they face in the availability and use of water in their respective villages. Here are 10 examples of the enthusiastic response received from the youth (names and ages of the contributors have been withheld to protect their privacy).
Hingalganj Block
Saline ingress has killed all the vegetables in our nutrition garden.” – Lebukhali Village
“Filling bottles directly from hand pumps wastes a lot of water in our freshwater-scarce village.” – Kothabari Village
Kakdwip Block
“Excessive water use in paddy fields is causing a dramatic increase in mosquitoes in the stagnant water.” – Uttar Kasiabad Village
“Our farmers used to draw water from this pond to cultivate paddy and green gram. However, as the water level fell, saline water from the bottom of the pond began to rise to the surface. This had disastrous consequences on the yields of the crops.” – Kasiabad Village
Kultali Block
“This hand pump was once used to irrigate the paddy field. A reduction in the groundwater level has resulted in the pump drying up.” – Shyamnagar Village
“People are drawing water from this pond to irrigate their fields. This is reducing the availability of freshwater for domestic consumption.” – Kantamari Village
Sandeshkhali I Block
“The sluice gate in our village being dysfunctional, saline water enters our fields and damages our crops.” – Kukrekhali Village
“The drains in our village are clogged with debris, becoming a fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes.” – Kukrekhali Village
“Saline ingress has reduced the mud in this field to dust; it is now unfit for cultivation.” – Dargapara Village
“Regardless of acute scarcity of freshwater in our village, many here use freshwater from hand pumps in their nutrition gardens. This wastes a lot of water.” – Dargapara Village
