Youth voices chart climate roadmap for Sunderbans at UNICEF conclave

Kolkata, Feb 15 (PTI) From promoting saline-tolerant paddy to building grassroots awareness on climate change, children and youth from across West Bengal put forward a range of suggestions to safeguard the fragile ecosystem of the Sunderbans and the lives it sustains at a conclave organised by the UNICEF.

More than 700 students from schools, colleges and universities had gathered here on Saturday evening for a ‘Youth Conclave on Climate Action’, aimed at sensitising young people to the escalating impacts of climate change, particularly in vulnerable regions like the Sundarbans.

The event opened with the first public screening of the documentary ‘Code Red Sunderbans’ by filmmaker Suman Mukhopadhyay.

In an interaction following the screening, students, many from the island region, spoke about recurring cyclones and tidal surges that have altered both landscape and livelihoods. Several said that repeated inundation has increased soil salinity, sharply reducing the yield of paddy and vegetables.

“Let us cultivate varieties of paddy that can tolerate rising salinity. It may not happen overnight, but with government support it is possible,” said Titiksha Mandal, a Class X student from South 24 Parganas.

Recalling scenes from recent storms, she described how families spent anxious nights reinforcing embankments.

“I saw people lying side by side on earthen dykes, holding bundles of hay to prevent them from being washed away,” she said, urging urban residents to stand in solidarity with island communities.

Responding to the concerns, West Bengal Disaster Management and Civil Defence Minister Javed Khan said the state government is implementing development initiatives, and preparing a masterplan to ease the hardships faced by islanders.

He added that speedboat ambulances have been deployed at several points in the Sunderbans to ensure faster medical evacuation.

UNICEF’s West Bengal Chief Dr Monjur Hossain underscored the urgency of collective action.

“Mitigating climate change is no longer the sole domain of scientists. It is a shared responsibility. Young people are change agents, and we want them to lead with ideas and action,” he told the gathering.

UNICEF has been working with the state government and youth groups to advance climate mitigation efforts in the region. PTI SUS RBT