Calcutta's sorrow

There is growing evidence that the
recent outbreak of the malaria (plasmodium falciparum) epidemic in
Calcutta is related to the clogged
drainage system of the city. And this
is because the state government has
been reclaiming the East Calcutta
Wetlands since the '60s. Some citizens, at the initiative of the
renowned geologist and senior environmentalist, Subrata Sinha, are
probing the epidemic.

Sinha says that most of the malaria cases come from old settlements -
Calcutta's core corporaiion area -
where water stagnates after heavy
showers. "These areas are in the middle of Calcutta's saucer and are serviced by a century-old, brick sewer
lines, which have been for long in a
state of disrepair. Even at the height
of summers, these are almost
clogged,- he says. Comparatively,
new settlement areas like Jadavpur
and Tollygunge do not face such dire conditions.