Inching Closer: Life on the Sinking Island of Ghoramara
Through a short documentary film, this capstone project attempts to explore the impact of climate change on the coastal community at Ghoramara Island in the Sundarban Delta complex in Eastern India. Ghoramara has reduced to half its original size in the last 30 years, facing extensive soil erosion due to human interventions and climate-change driven sea level rise. This gradual process of habitat loss has severely affected the livelihood of the islanders whose primary occupation is rice and betel cultivation, fishing and prawn seed collection. The loss of livelihood and habitat has resulted in migration from Ghoramara to the nearby islands and urban centers. The terms 'climate refugees' or 'environmental refugees' have been used for Ghoramara islanders in academia as well as several media reports. To make matters worse, India has not signed the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention nor its 1967 Protocol. Also, there is no policy or legal framework regarding Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in India. This documentary film has been conceptualized to highlight how the slowly transforming environment such as extensive soil erosion, dwindling livelihoods, and fading traditions affect this coastal community in India. It also attempts to look for the status of these Internally displaced people in the policy discourse of India.
Climate change, Climate justice, Ghoramara Island, Coastal erosion, Livelihoods, Culture, Migration
City University of New York - Graduate Center
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York