Prawn seed collectors in Sundarban- Their Socio-economic & health condition and rehabilitation

Sundarbans, the world famous deltaic region, is situated just a few hours journey from Kolkata, the state capital of West Bengal in India. It is also known as Sundarban Biosphere Reserve for its wonderful combination of man and biosphere relationship. In 1987, UNESCO has recognised it as a Natural World Heritage site. However, this mesmerising man and biosphere relation is now in vulnerable state due to habitat degradation and ecological imbalance. This delta area is not very promising when it comes to agriculture. The soil of this region turns saline in many areas, which is not favourable for agriculture. Hence, aquaculture is the second preferred livelihood option here. Most of the scheduled caste and scheduled tribal communities of Sundarban have opted prawn seed collection as their alternative profession. Usually, the women folk take up this profession and are also accompanied by their kids.

Brackish water has high potentiality to grow prawns, specifically Tiger Prawn (P.Menodon). Since the prawn cultivation is more promising and cash earning profession, the agricultural land is also used for its cultivation after paddy harvesting. They sell them in the market to the middlemen or intermediaries at low cost, who sell them at higher price later. So, there is not much money at the collection level. 

As said earlier, the prawn seed collectors are mainly women who are supported by their children. The children help them storing the seeds in a container. As a result, most of the kids drop out their school and some even never go to school. The parents also find it lucrative rather than sending their children to school. This results in lower literacy level in this coastal community. In the early morning, the prawn seed collectors start moving near sea side or river side. Since morning, they stay inside water for 8 to 10 hours in search of the fingerlings. After working for long hours, they can hardly earn 40 to 50 Rs per day. The process of collection is hazardous to their health. The females suffer from various gynaecological problems, skin diseases, eye problems.

Dragging of net by the women prawn seed collectors

They need to stay bend in an awkward posture for long hours in this process resulting into various physical problems.  Staying long time in saline water also caused severe skin diseases. They drag the nets forwards and backwards for spreading the net, which involves a lot of energy causing fatigue, pain and injury. Constant muscle contraction and stress on bones make them weak. Lower job satisfaction and high job demand also leads to lower back pain. Knees and shoulders also get badly affected in this profession. The prawn seed collectors also suffer from sleep disturbance as they constantly feel the discomfort during and after the work. The heart beat rate and blood pressure level also increases during the seed catching process. The continuous strenuous activities by these females lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). According to a study titled “A Study among some Meendharas of Sunderbans, West Bengal” by Department of Anthropology, Calcutta University, more than 70% of the female prawn seed collectors suffer from uneasiness in ankles and 67% suffer from pain in feet. Other body parts like wrists, elbows, upper back and hands also bear the pain as they have to walk through 0.46 metre deep sticky mud and salty water.

Apart from regular physical hazards, they are also constantly under threat of accidental attack by estuarine crocodiles and small sharks. Snake bites as well as injuries due to mangrove roots and sea shells are also common in their daily routine. This profession has also taken many lives and some got seriously ill.

Besides harming their own life, the prawn seed collectors also damage their surrounding environment and ecology. While collecting prawn seed, they destroy the mangrove plants without knowing the importance of them for biodiversity. During the process of prawn seed collection, juveniles of many other finfish species get trapped in the net. They throw away those other species as they are not remunerative. As a result, the growth of other finfish species gets hampered, which are very important ecologically.

The coastal region of Sundarbans is highly affected by the impact of climate change through coastal erosion, tropical cyclones and rise of sea level. Mangroves are important to protect the coastal region from the grudge of cyclone and land erosion. Unknowingly, the prawn seed collectors are destroying their natural friend mangrove which is constantly protecting them. Due to land erosion, some islands are in the verge of getting submerged under water and some like Lohachara has already gone under sea.

Sundarbans has a unique ecosystem and a rich wildlife habitat and mangrove ecosystem that offers both goods and services for coastal community. It is also helpful in improving livelihood options. For example, the fishermen community collect mollusc shells from mangrove and prepare lime. The local people use the twigs of mangrove plants as firewood. The high content of tannin in mangroves makes it a durable timber. The local fishermen also use it for stopper and float making due to pneumatophores of mangrove. Mangroves are also natural medicine for the coastal community whose extracts are used in the treatment of incurable diseases like AIDS. The Avicennia species have great tonic effect.  

Mangrove is also protector of different juvenile aquatic species and serves as a habitat for several types of terrestrial fauna. It is also a source of nutrients that helps the sustenance of many complex food chains. So, the prawn seed collectors should be made aware of its benefits so that they stop destroying the mangroves. But, only awareness is not the sole solution of this issue as most of the families in the region survive with this profession only. So, until an alternative livelihood option is provided to them, the destruction process will not stop.

SEED (Society for Socio Economic and Ecological Development) is working for the biodiversity conservation of Sundarbans since last few years. In this endeavour, the organisation is offering alternative livelihood training to the prawn seed collector women so that they can afford to run their family. Some of these are given below-

1.       Training on scientifically cultivating Beetle Leaves.

2.       Training Programme in poultry keeping, duckery and goatery.

3.       Training for the culture of crabs and fishes in tidal fade ponds.

4.       Training programme in horticulture, nursery and culture of ornamental plants.

5.       Training on preparing different spices.

6.       Training on different aquaculture techniques.

SEED has started a non-formal Education centre in Sagar Island and four in Jharkhali Island to provide basic education to the children of this community.

Dr Kalyan Acharya on a regular helath check up visit

Apart from this, SEED also plans to offer treatment to these women who have been in this profession since long. They need to be in healthy physical condition to look for a better future in the coming days. The organisation is running health centres in both the islands to offer basic health support to them. They were trained to treat themselves in basic health issues like cough, cold, fever or small cuts. Dr. Kalyan Acharya from SEED visits these health centres regularly to check their health condition.

Rehabilitation of prawn seed collectors is not only important for these particular women community but also for the biodiversity conservation of Sundarbans.