As the city wakes up on the World Nature Conservation Day 2026, Child in Need Institute (CINI) sets the path for its flagship project supported by the Wipro Foundation, on the unique landscapes of the East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW), one of the world’s largest natural resource recovery ecosystems and a lifeline for Kolkata’s environmental health.
To mark the occasion, CINI in collaboration with the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), on 28th July, organised a commemorative event during which the organisation formally launched the project in the presence of Shri Samanjit Sen Gupta (WBCS) Senior Personnel Manager from the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB); Dr. S. N. Ghosh, Senior Research Officer, and Dr. Anirban Roy, Research Officer from West Bengal Biodiversity Board; Shri Bishnupada Sarkar, Additional District Project Officer, Samagra Sikhsha Mission; Smt. Sreyoshi Bhattacharya, Consultant, Urban Ecology, Wipro Foundation; officials from Kolkata Municipal Corporation along with teachers from various schools of Kolkata region namely– Behala Balika Vidyalaya, Sanat Ray Chowdhury Institution, Saratchandra Sur Institutions for Boys, Bhutnath Mahamaya Girls Institution, etc., child and youth leaders thus bringing together the important stakeholders to the event and explore the unique and diverse ways in which the community level climate stewards, i.e., the green catalysts can help protect an important ecological system- the EKW in an equally unique Dhapa landscape, and also be the guide for others in building urban ecological resilience. This marks an important milestone in CINI’s ingress into the sphere of environmental conservation and augmenting it to reach the last person standing.
In the auspicious presence of stakeholder organizations, discussions were held on Eco-clubs under Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) of the Government of India and potential of Environment Education Programme (EEP) in fostering environmental stewardship among students and contributing to the project’s long-term outcomes. The initiative aims to connect young people, especially belonging to the underprivileged community, with nature at a time when environmental degradation, pollution, and climate change increasingly threaten critical ecosystems.
Through discourses on wetlands, their cultural significance as well as scientific importance by the luminaries, participants gained a deeper understanding of why protecting wetlands is essential not only for biodiversity but also for building a sustainable and climate-resilient future.
“A child handed me a painting not on a paper or a canvas, but on a broken piece of marble sourced from the Dhapa landfill. It sits on my desk now.” Smt. Sreyoshi Bhattacharya exclaimed. Sh. Samanjit Sengupta explained in exquisite detail about the significance and potential impact of Mission LiFE in our lives. Dr. Anirban Roy beautifully elaborated on the continual linkage between wetlands and human medicinal, religious, cultural and geoclimatic traditions. Brief introduction into the floral and faunal biodiversity of wetlands was conducted.
He urged on the need to conserve the wetlands. Two KMC officials shared their experiences about solid waste management system currently in place in Kolkata city.
The event also encouraged children to tell environmental stories from their own lives thereby inspiring greater appreciation for the natural resources that often go unnoticed amidst urban life. A specially-abled (deaf and dumb) child expressed how CINI augmented the safeguarding of communities, especially children, along with the child warriors, against social and environmental vulnerabilities.
