Waghers way of life and threat from SEZs Part 1

The Waghers have an incredible way of life. Actually, they have not one, but two lives - one at the bunder (fish landing centre) and the second in their village. If you took a look at their village and their bunder, you would be amazed and would probably wonder how the same people manage to live in both places that are so very different.

The village is like any other Gujarati vilage, pucca houses, tiled roofs, tar roads, electricity (non-stop 24 hours thanks to Gramjyothi scheme), water and the regular Government facilities you would find in any village - Primary health Centres, schools, ration shops and so on.

But, the bunders, usually 5-10 kms from the village present a different picture all-together. On the way to the bunder itself, the difference becomes apparent. The roads, if you can call them roads, are kuccha, and are really mud tracks that still remain because they are used so frequently by people on foot and donkey carts.

The Bunders look like a desert at low tide and a sea at high tide. On the Bunders, People live in shacks made of gunny cloth, plastics, tyres and other readily available materials. These shacks are made on the high mounds that remain out of water during high tide. People live in Bunders for 8-9 months(the fishing season). They then return to the villages for 3-4 months(offseason) to mend their equipment and prepare for the next season.

Fishermen from South-India who went to visit their counterparts in Kutch, were reduced to tears upon seeing the pitiable conditions at the Bunders. There is no electricity, water supply or any Govt facility in the bunders. No schools, no health centres. Its a primitive life. The reason is that the bunders (fish landing centres) are not recognized by the Government, which sees these dwellings as illegal encroachments.

To make things worse for the traditional fishfolk, SEZs(Special Economic Zones) are coming up in Kandla and Mundra port adjoining the Bunders. The SEZs, being constructed by Adani Group, which is making huge investments, plans to put up world class facilities for export businesses. That includes Airfields and Golf parks. Good. But, at what cost to the local ecosystem? Already Mangroves along the Kutch coast have been cleared. The air strip cut off access of hundreds of fishermen to their traditional fishing areas. A large portion of the creek may be filled to reclaim kand for the SEZs.

Whom do the fisherfolk approach for their rights? The Government already sees them as illegal encroachers. There is no significant civil society action in the area. They filed a PIL in the Supreme Court, but the court, after initially staying the work on the SEZs, gave orders to resume work. The fisherfolk have also conducted agitations and protests to fight for their rights.

Lets try and take a look at the society of the fisherfolk, which is at serious threat by the ruthless advance of modernisation. The fisherfolk are from the Wagher community. Wagher is derived from the word gher, which means to surround. This comes from a fishing technique used by early Waghers. The Waghers of Kutch are muslims. They are a close knit community(more on their social aspects in Part 2), but have very little interaction with other Muslims.