Women of Water: How A Group of Koli Women Began the Vengurla Mangrove Safari

Breaking the stereotypical norms set by our society is a bunch of women from the Koli community in Vengurla. Like most women in rural parts of India, you won’t find them cooking in the kitchen or bound to a ‘job’ that a woman can do, but shattering the norms and the patriarchal school of thought. The Swamini Bachat Gat is a group of women who run the Vengurla Mangrove Safari. Vengurla is a town located in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. This town is a must-visit for those who like to explore offbeat places. Other than the scenic beaches, green lush hills and the delicious Malvani cuisine, Vengurla also has a dense mangrove forest known for its biodiversity, flora and fauna. 

For, By and Of the Women 

The Vengurla Mangrove Forest roughly covers 3.8% of the total mangrove area in the state. The ‘Swamini Mahila Bachat Gat’ was founded in 2017 by Shweta Hule. The thought behind this initiative stems from empowering women and preserving the rich biodiversity. The Vengurla Mangrove Safari is conducted in the Mandovi Creek in the Sindhudurg Taluka. With the assistance of her husband Satish Hule, Shweta Hule began this organisation with the onboarding of eight other women — Aisha Hule, Jahnvi Hule, Priyanka Dabholkar, Sai Satardekar, Sneha Khobrekar, Sushila Hule, Gautami Hule, and Radhika Lone.

The members of the Swamini Mahila Bachat Gat later approached the Mangrove Cell of Maharashtra. It was then proposed to start a Mangrove Safari, where people could learn about the importance of this particular vegetation, their role in maintaining the balance in the ecosystem and the need to protect them. Shweta Hule accepted the proposal, and they were allotted two boats and life jackets were provided to run this initiative. What only started as a wild thought quickly became a popular tourist attraction, as people flocked to Vengurla to experience this adventure.

The Mangrove Safari is highly dependent on the tidal movement. If the water level is too low, it’s nearly impossible to row the boats. Thus, the call on whether the safari would function is made a day earlier, observing the patterns of the tides. Usually, the safari lasts for around an hour and a half. The safari is accompanied by three women, wherein two women row the boat and one acts as the safari guide. During the safari, detailed information about the mangrove forest, the flora and the fauna is provided. Visitors can spot a variety of birds, endemic to the Western Ghats, to build a home in these marshy lands. One can spot birds like pond herons, sandpipers, egrets, gulls of various kinds, cormorants and kingfishers, to name a few. This list also includes various kinds of fish and crab species like the mangrove crabs, clams, mussels and even oysters.

Coming from the Koli community, the main source of income for these women was fishing. However, the Mangrove Cell under the Maharashtra Forest Department and a team of people from the cell of UDNP Cell encouraged these women to row their dreams. Eventually, these women learnt the science and the geography of this Mangrove Safari, to boost tourism. 

The Mangrove Vegetation Found Here

A total of eight species of mangroves flourish in this creek: Avicennia marina, Avicennia officinalis, Rhizophora mucronata, Excoecaria agallocha, Acanthus ilicifolius, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Bruguiera cylindrica, and Kandelia candel. Maharashtra is the only state that has declared a ‘Mangrove Cell’ in the country. This cell was set up in 2012 and since then has witnessed an increase of 134 sq. km in the mangrove cover. On September 22, 2020, Maharashtra also became the only state to declare a state-protected mangrove species — Sonneratia alba, with the motive to raise awareness and protect the biodiversity of this mangrove vegetation. Maharashtra has the fifth-largest mangrove cover among the Indian states, with an area encompassing over 320 sq km spread across the coastal belt. However, Sindhudurg district occupies only 12.19 sq km. The Vengurla Mangrove Safari is one of its kind, as it empowers local women to be independent while also conserving this rich mangrove diversity. 

Why do we need to conserve Mangroves?

For the longest time, Mangroves have been the most neglected vegetation in India; however, as time passes, the scenario is changing. But what do mangroves even do? What role do they play in our ecosystem? Mangroves act as a natural barrier during deadly storms and tsunamis. As their roots penetrate deeper into the soil, they withstand the strong winds and tides. They also act as a breeding ground for fish. Fish usually lay eggs in the roots of Mangroves as the young ones feed on the algae and the nutrients of the water. It is widely believed that mangroves act as carbon sinks, and other than that, mangroves play a vital role in maintaining a balance in the ecosystem. Mangroves are one of the richest biodiversity hotspots. They boast a plethora of fauna and flora, some of which are endemic to this vegetation. Other than that, they also improve the water quality. 

If the question still arises, why do we need to conserve our mangrove vegetation? Well, the Swamini Mahila Bachat Gat is one of the examples of why. Other than being a rich biodiversity and boasting rich flora and fauna, people rely on this vegetation for food, income and well-being. So, the next time you plan on visiting Vengurla, plan a short day trip here and try this one-of-a-kind women-led mangrove safari.