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Mitali Kakkar,
Director, Reef Watch Marine Conservation |
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| Dance of the Ocean |
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Mitali Kakkar, Director, Reef Watch Marine Conservation
From being a 'mountain person' to diving deep into the sea, Mitali Kakar has done it all. In this interview, Mitali, who is the Director, Reef Watch Marine Conservation (http://www.reefwatchindia.org) , talks passionately about her underwater adventures, the condition of and threats to Coral reefs and her plans for making marine eco-system a priority with the Government of India.
How did your love for sea life begin?
I believe it was after your husband Prahalad found a Koran lying on sea bed.
Oh, you know this story. Actually he went to Mauritius for some work and on his first ever dive, found a Koran in deep sea. It touched and moved him a lot. He wanted me to try diving. Many of our friends were interested but did not know how to go about it. We went back to Mauritius a year later and I did my first ever dive with my instructor, a French Mauritian Hugues Vitry who later became my Guru and philosopher.
I am a mountain person. I was born and brought up in mountains. I was not a sea person until I went for diving. I did not know how to react. This first Scuba diving experience was so exhilarating that it changed my life. From there, my passion for the sea developed.
Can you share the feelings linked with your first ever experience?
Definitely apprehension, also claustrophobia because there is a lot of gear involved in Scuba diving. We usually have an innate fear of sea which is quite healthy because it breathes the deep respect for the sea and one can not take it for granted. It was a feeling of adrenalin and exhilaration. I can still sense that feeling, even though it was 18 years ago.
How do you compare sea and mountain? Depth and height.
Both are majestic and magical. Expansive. The concept is the same. These are just two different dimensions. In the mountains, you are still breathing fresh air but in the sea, even though you breathe air it is through a mechanized device. There is a quality about the ocean that you have to experience. No matter how much a person talks to you about it, until you experience, it's hard to understand.
Elsewhere, you have mentioned your shark experience surreal. What was so Salvador Dali or Andre Breton about it?
I literally meant it. It was surreal because a person would never imagine that he would be diving in an environment with 21 sharks. There were 21 sharks on the day I dived. It was almost like a deep bowl. Never in your wildest imagination, can you imagine such a situation when you are surrounded by 21 sharks! Each shark is very conscious of your presence. You are very conscious of the shark's presence. Yet, both of you merely observe each other. Under water, the entire surrounding seems like a water color painting in motion. That was the surreal part of it.
Were you alone that day?
No. You can never dive alone. Diving is a buddy sport. I was with my instructor and there were other buddies. They were on top of the bowl and I was with my instructor. He wanted to take photographs. Only two people could fit there comfortably. It was like a whirlpool and you had to hold on to the rocks. At the bottom there was very little space as it narrowed down. Every one else was on top and we were down taking pictures. It lasted for 45 exhilarating minutes.
From a passionate marine lover, what prompted you to establish Reef Watch?
I was born and brought up in the mountains. My father worked for a Tea company and we lived in Tea Estates near forests. Ever since I was young, I was exposed to wild animals. I saw a tiger face to face at the age of six. We lived in and amongst nature. I was definitely a nature loving person, though not a sea lover then. It's only when I started diving that I realized how ignorant I was about the ocean. In fact, there must be lot of people who are fascinated by the sea but had no idea of what lay beneath. I wanted to share my experience with them. Thus, we started Reef Watch twelve years ago. The main motivation was my passion for the sea and for spreading awareness about marine environment. I also wanted to interact with children and in the long run, influence the curriculum.
Influence the curriculum?
Yes. At present, it is very 'terrestrial'. Even in environmental studies, there is very little content on marine ecology. Reef Watch wants to bring about some change in this area initiating concrete conservation initiatives. When we began, there was very little being done vis-à-vis coral reefs even in marine conservation programs. It was a bit difficult initially to get people to understand what we were trying to do. Over the years (and thanks to National Geographic and Discovery), people have become aware. They want to explore and discover.
How did your program for coral reefs emerge and evolve over the years? What was your agenda on day one and how did it get modified?
Initially it was an educational and awareness program. We started with school children. From there on, the research work evolved. I believe it is extremely important to have base line data for a long term, sustainable program. Our research was a follow up to our education program.
What are your focus areas under research?
Our research focuses on coral reefs in Andaman and Lakshadweep islands. It includes studying coral reefs, coral reef community structure, base line data of coral reefs in India, types of coral proliferating in certain areas and the impact of natural disasters on them. For instance, we had pre Tsunami data. Later we undertook post Tsunami study. We studied the impact of earthquake on marine life.
While human tragedy was amply recorded, this aspect was not noticed.
Yeah. That itself is a tragedy. Within the environment, the marine environment gets the lowest priority. For us, the ocean is merely a dumping ground. It is like the last destination for our garbage and sewage. We do not realize that there is a whole eco system and life system existing under the ocean, which over the years is slowly degrading and dying. We are the environment. Whatever we do, we do it to ourselves.
You deal with marine life in general, with exclusive focus on coral reefs. What is so special about them?
Coral reefs are the base of the marine life. They are the mountains of the ocean, the forests of the ocean. If there are no coral reefs, marine life would be destroyed. They are the roots of the ocean.
Reef pattern is not uniform on the planet. It differs spatially. How do you compare Indian Reefs with the Great Barrier Reef of Australia?
I have not dived in the Great Barrier Reef. I have dived in lots of places all over the world. According to me coral reefs of Red Sea are really spectacular. However, Lakshadweep compares with some of the best reefs on the earth. They are very similar to the reefs of Maldives. Same archipelago, same chain of islands. In fact, it's just that Lakshadweep islands are further up north and come in Indian territorial waters. They are basically the same chain of islands and coral reef formation. The marine life is also quite similar. In fact, some divers, who have dived in various places across the world, come to Lakshadweep and say this is the best experience they have ever had. But how many people in India know about their treasure?
Vineeta Hoon in her 1997 paper mentioned that Indian coral reefs are under reported and unrecorded. How do you respond to it?
She is right. Until mid 1990s, there were one or two individual scientists working on coral reefs. Gathering some information from somewhere and compiling a paper is not coral reef research. You have to be physically diving, taking photographs, observing it over the years. Vineeta probably meant there were very few people doing authentic coral reef research. However, now it's changing. We have been doing it for the past ten years. We went back to the same location every year and recorded every change, howsoever minor it is.
What changes you have found over the years?
In Lakshadweep, there was El Nino effect in 1998. It completely bleached certain areas. I had been diving in and observing those areas at least eight years prior to that. We saw a really prolific bio diverse reef. However in 1998, certain areas were completely destroyed. Even today, there are just rubbles. They are lying there to regenerate again.
These are the alarming effects of global warming. People talk of global warming quite casually. However when you physically observe it in your life time, the possibility of such a phenomenon really shocks you. A warm current originates in Mexico and affects us in Lakshadweep. It forces you to think. The Tsunami has been devastating in Andaman. A month before the Tsunami, one dived in and saw the reefs, but now it doesn't exist anymore.
Apart from natural disasters like Tsunami and global warming, what endangers coral reefs?
Coral reefs never have to be managed. Instead, people should be managed. Why can't we leave reefs on their own? They would do well then. People who live by coral reefs, whose livelihood depends on coral reefs, need to be educated and managed. Natural disasters are going to happen. We have to curtail human impact through reduction of sewage, garbage and check malpractices involved with fishing by huge ships.
And tourism?
I believe tourism if done in a proper way may not be harmful. It is only when it is over developed and over utilized, it creates negative impact.
Can we put a limit on tourism, an expansive industry, saying something like we want only so many tourists and not beyond that?
It can well be done. You cannot limit the number of tourists going to the sea. But in an advanced tourism industry, they limit the number of people entering the marine national area. However, we have a different concept in India. If it is a marine national park, it is closed everywhere. That is not how it should be done. A restriction should be placed on the number of boats and people entering inside and this can be taken care of by the tour operator. Further, the luxury liners and tour operators should take the responsibility of the garbage tourists generate, ensuring they do not dump mineral water bottles and potato chips packets on the island. The responsibility of luxury liners must begin right from the time tourists embark on the ship to the time they disembark, ensuring not a single trace is left of their visit.
Evaluate the marine conservation efforts in India.
Much more can be done. Though, a lot more is being done today than earlier. For instance, a simple thing like clearing of Juhu beach would appear to many like removing the hawkers from there. But what is required is for us to clean our streets and the city. RWMC has worked with BMC. BMC has initiated the process of sewage treatment and BMC officers are discussing issues of sewage. Twenty years ago, there was no concept of sewage treatment. The entire sewage would just flow into the sea. However, times are changing. That's why I am hopeful. I believe that only when you are positive and work with positive energy, positive results follow. Once you are disillusioned, cynicism creeps in.
What are the efforts of the Indian government?
The Indian government has made efforts to bring certain areas under Marine National park, which I believe is one way of protecting sensitive areas. However, we need Marine Police or some separate department. If we had marine department dedicated to marine habitat that would be a huge step towards marine conservation.
Do you intend to undertake some policy influencing at the national level as a greater agenda?
Absolutely. It is because working is one thing. But being involved with decision makers is very important. That is where the actions get institutionalized, become more effective and reach out to people. I would definitely like to work within the system to bring about these changes. That is my long term plan.
You are India's only woman CMAS three star diving instructor. How do you feel about that?
Well, I never think of it like that.
But, we always think of it like that !
(Smiles)Yeah. For me, it was just a logical thing to do. I enjoyed diving, training and teaching people. Whenever there was an opportunity to acquire some higher qualifications, I just did it. You ultimately stop at three star instructor. There is nothing higher than that.
Out of Reef Watch, how much time do you devote to training people?
I was in Lakshadweep in December for 8-9 days and took some training. Whenever I am there for a week or so, I train or examine.
Is it part of Reef Watch or under Lacadives, a Scuba Diving centre by Prahalad?
I am an instructor. If Lacadives needs me to train people, I do it. If I have to do a training and capacity building program for Reef Watch, I would do it as well. I am a Scuba Diving instructor. Tomorrow if Navy wants me to train cadets, I would train them. There is a group of scientists called Global Coral Reef Network based in Sri Lanka. I trained seven scientists working on coral reefs.
You have worked with school children from Delhi and Mumbai. Did they respond to you easily?
We have done programs with hundreds of school children. We gathered school children across the country to participate in the ocean theme during International Year of the Ocean 1997 and the response was very positive. In Kerala, students were enthusiastic about our marine environment program. If we had the funds to hire more people, then instead of just Maharashtra and Delhi, I would do the same program in entire India in all schools right from municipality schools to convent schools. Right now, we follow this procedure in Mumbai involving all kinds of schools. Around 250 schools are listed with us. Though all of them are not doing the program every week or every month, we are hopeful that they will all become a part of our program.
Why this special focus towards children?
Even if 2-3 kids out of 300 take home our message and try to pursue a career in it, it serves the purpose. The future is with the children. Working with them initiates a movement. You can't change an adult. Over a period of time, adults develop apathy towards issues. Therefore, you have to target children.
What has been your experience with local NGOs?
We have worked with NGOs like Akanksha where children are involved to educate other children about various marine environment issues. We also engage with individuals like Juhu Alumni and Worli citizens during beach clean ups. We worked with A-Net, an environment group in the Andamans. They do marine and forest conservation and have a very good turtle program.
For more information visit http://www.reefwatchindia.org
Interview by: Ashutosh Bharadwaj, IndianNGOs.com
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