Fisheries dept plans to rev up output

KOLKATA: The state fisheries department is planning to make use of the city's waterbodies, which are largely drying up due to negligence, and increase production.
State fisheries minister Abu Hena said many waterbodies in and around the city are not being utilized properly at present. Most waterbodies were either drying up or being filled by promoters.
"It is a known fact that many waterbodies in the city have already been filled (by promoters). We are working on a plan to restore such waterbodies wherever possible," he said.
The minister said the government wants to increase fish production.
"The waterbodies could be effectively used to increase fish production and develop pisciculture. We are now conducting a survey and working on plans on this," the minister said. Efforts are on to increase productivity in aquarium fishes as it could help in generating huge revenues, he added.
The minister also said the department was looking at how pisciculture could be developed through rainwater harvesting in the city's water bodies
. "We can work on developing rainwater harvesting so that water could be reserved and used later when required for pisciculture and other activities," the minister said. This way, the water bodies could be properly developed, maintained and utilized.
It has been noticed that several water bodies in the city, including small ponds, have been filled by unscrupulous developers to make way for multi-storied buildings. In a study conducted some time back, it was alarmingly found that ponds in the eastern fringes were being filled to make way for buildings that are being constructed in an unplanned manner without a proper drainage system.
The environment department is already working on plans for a wetlands policy to protect and develop the city's wetlands. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation had detected some of these on time and prevented the ponds from getting filled. But in most cases, the matter has gone unchecked. The department is now preparing a policy to develop the wetlands, particularly the east Kolkata wetlands. The livelihoods of hundreds of fishermen depend on these wetlands and the authorities are planning to further develop the concept of pisci-culture among them.