Udhwa's fisherfolk use community-driven, traditional methods to preserve their ecosystem, but need government cooperation to overcome external challenges.

Udhwa, Jharkhand: In Jharkhand's Sahibganj district, with its unique geographical features, biodiversity thrives, particularly in its numerous water bodies.

Data from the Sahibganj District Fisheries Office shows the district has 659 ponds, lakes, and other water bodies, covering about 516 hectares (1,274 acres), which are auctioned for fishing.

Here, where the Ganges River meets the Rajmahal hills, fishers in Udhwa have built their lives around these water bodies, managing, protecting, and fishing through a cooperative system that has been in place for decades.

At the heart of this community is the Udhwa Prakhand Matasyajivi Sahyog Samiti Limited, a 483-member cooperative that manages fishing resources. Unlike some cooperatives that hold formal elections, Udhwa often selects its president and secretary by consensus for a five-year term, later notifying the Fisheries Department.

The cooperative leases 55 lakes and ponds from the government for three years. For instance, the lease cost Rs 2,24,300 for the 2024–27 term. This system  has sustained fisher livelihoods since at least 1995. While government oversight has grown over time, members see it more as support than interference.

Once leased, the cooperative sub-leases the water bodies to members or small groups. Teams of four to six typically take one to three ponds annually, with larger lakes accommodating up to 25 fishers. Sub-lease rates vary by size and yield, with proceeds pooled to cover the main government lease.

Fishers say the work is profitable. Atul Choudhary (60), who owns no farmland, earns his living with a six-member team from a pond sub-leased for Rs 11,000 a year.

Most members are from the traditional Kevat community, but over 100 belong to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe groups. "The Kevats are more in number because they’ve always done this work," said secretary Pappu Choudhary, "but the cooperative is open to all." They’ve also leased ponds to Adivasi families.

Four women serve both as members and on the executive committee, a government-mandated step toward inclusive decision-making. While not involved in catching fish, women often buy and trade the catch in local markets.

The cooperative enforces key rules: no fishing during the monsoon, when fishers instead stock ponds with hatchlings from government or private sources. Fishing resumes after the Chhath festival, with the peak season from February to March. Interestingly, there are no formal penalties for overfishing. Members say self-regulation comes naturally since their livelihoods depend on the resource, acting as its primary protectors.

They also avoid dumping plastic in the water and prefer traditional, organic methods to clean ponds over chemical shortcuts for faster fish growth.

Choudhary summed it up: “We prevent any kind of encroachment or activity of damaging the ponds because of our collective strength.”

Chancer lake is the largest lake for fishermen in the area (Photo - Rahul Singh, 101Reporters)

No conflict 

On February 2, 2025, Udhwa Lake officially received its Ramsar site status, making it Jharkhand's first internationally recognised wetland. This area was already designated as a Bird Sanctuary, meaning the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 applies. The sanctuary encompasses two lakes, Pataura (155 hectares) and Barhale (410 hectares), totalling 565 hectares, within a broader 935.5-hectare Eco-Sensitive Zone. Despite this recognition, fishers confirm that 55 other lakes and ponds remain available to them outside the Ramsar site, alleviating potential conflicts over the bird sanctuary status.

A picture of Udhwa Lake that officially received its Ramsar site status (Photo - Rahul Singh, 101Reporters)

The sanctuary's core area is strictly off-limits to fishers to protect wildlife. Indrajeet Kumar Das, in charge of the Udhwa Bird Sanctuary, confirmed this restriction but noted that fishing activities outside the core zone are not regulated. Sahibganj Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Prabal Garg, while supporting "sustainable fishing" and the Ramsar Convention's "Wise Use of Wetlands" concept—which balances ecology with community benefits—emphasised that entry into the sanctuary area is prohibited.

The fishermen of Udhwa expressing their challenges (Photo - Rahul Singh, 101Reporters)

A lifeline under strain

Despite their crucial role in managing these public resources, Udhwa's fishers face significant challenges, for which they urgently seek government and administrative support. A primary concern is the maintenance of the ponds.

Choudhary lamented, "It would have been better if these ponds had been cleaned at the time we took them on lease." He stressed that fishers lack the resources for cleaning and believe the government should undertake this task. Water hyacinth is a particularly pressing issue; fisher Jitendra Choudhary (54) called it their "biggest problem," making navigation and fishing extremely difficult. However, both the District Fisheries Officer, Birendra Kumar Binha, and State Fisheries Director, HN Dwivedi, have stated that fishers, as the users, are responsible for pond cleaning, and no dedicated government funds exist for this. They even suggested fishers could produce organic fertilizer from the hyacinth. Choudhary also noted that Gidla pond has been dry for five years, yielding no benefit, and desperately needs excavation.

He added that fishers often remove water hyacinth from ponds in summer but believes government support would make the process more efficient. He pointed out that leased pond owners naturally prioritise cleaning to boost their profits.

The fishers also grapple with illegal activities. Unauthorized groups, often large in number, illegally fish in the ponds leased to the cooperative, causing significant financial losses despite the fishers paying the government for these rights. Choudhary also highlighted that farmers frequently divert water from lakes and ponds to their fields, which reduces water levels and adversely impacts fish populations. The fishers expect governmental protection against these issues. Dwivedi, affirmed that District Fisheries Officers are responsible for coordinating with the police and district administration to address these complaints, and fishers can also directly approach the police. "We've been engaged in fishing since our forefathers’ time, and we've been protectors of this public resource for generations," Choudhary emphasised, underscoring their historical stewardship.

The District Fisheries Officer says that the department takes action based on complaints. Binha noted that more people are now joining to earn a living from these ponds and emphasised the department's efforts against harmful fishing practices, stating, "Using blasting or poison in water bodies causes significant damage, and even small nets are harmful. We've prohibited these." He highlighted the removal of concrete structures from ponds in the Rajmahal area as a departmental achievement.

Fishers grapple with illegal activities (Photo - Rahul Singh, 101Reporters)

Partnership with panchayats

Currently, panchayats in Jharkhand have no clear, active role in managing or conserving natural water sources and fisheries. 

Dwivedi confirmed their lack of direct involvement, though they technically hold powers under the Jharkhand Panchayati Raj Act, 2001, for pond construction, repair, pollution control, and waterway management. Local panchayat officials and fisher representatives alike affirmed this limited engagement, stating that they primarily work with the Fisheries Department.

To support fishers, the Sahibganj District Fisheries Office promotes schemes like the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Yojana, based on the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana. This provides 60% subsidies to SC/ST fish farmers and women, and 40% to others. Farmers with their own ponds can access Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loans for integrated fish farming, including practices like duck-cum-fish farming. Subsidies of up to 90% are also available for certain fishing nets. The department also offers three-day skill development training programs and accident insurance, providing ₹5 lakh compensation for death during fishing and Rs 2.5 lakh for disability.

However, many traditional fishers, despite numbering around six thousand in the district, often do not benefit from these schemes. They operate traditionally and may not fit the criteria for “skilled businessmen” or possess the necessary “fisher cards” for scheme access.

Water hyacinth at the Chancer lake (Photo - Rahul Singh, 101Reporters)

Traditional wisdom

Fishers in Udhwa maintain valuable traditional practices for water treatment, such as adding cow dung, lime and poultry farm waste and mustard oil cake to ponds to clean the water and create a healthy environment for fish, notably avoiding chemicals. They do, however, mention adding some "vitamins" (likely nutritional supplements) to aid fish growth.

Yet, significant changes have occurred. Older fishers observe that water hyacinths were far less abundant in their ancestors' time. Furthermore, the shift from traditional, biodegradable cotton nets to plastic nets poses an environmental threat. As Choudhary explained, old cotton nets would harmlessly decompose if left in water, unlike plastic nets which can trap and kill aquatic life. He recounted a proposal from Namami Gange to replace plastic nets, which unfortunately never materialized. The current state of water bodies also impacts their heritage; Choudhary sadly noted that the historical journey by boat from Udhwa Nala to Farakka in West Bengal, a vivid childhood memory, is now impossible due to encroachments and degradation.

Way forward

In Udhwa, fisherfolk embody the principle of co-existence, striving to harmonize their livelihoods with the area’s rich biodiversity and community wealth. Through their collective efforts to conserve vital community resources, such as lakes and ponds, they have created a thriving ecosystem that supports an impressive 140 species of birds and 30 species of aquatic life. The Asian Waterbird Census 2025 recorded 60 types of wetland birds in Udhwa. Notably, Purulia Lake in Rajmahal Block recorded the highest bird count at 14,442, followed by Barhale at 8,191 and Pataura at 1,840.

Udhwa’s fishers are more than just users of a resource; they are a community with a deeply ingrained system of managing and sustaining it, acting as protectors of this public resource for generations. Their two primary demands remain clear: government-funded cleaning of water bodies—particularly the removal of water hyacinth—or financial grants to undertake the work themselves, and protection from illegal fishing and water diversion.

Their self-sufficient cooperative model, built on consensus and traditional wisdom, stands as a testament to local resource management. However, increasing pressure from environmental degradation, encroachment, and a lack of direct, integrated governmental support strains their traditional methods, highlighting a critical need for collaborative solutions to protect both their livelihoods and these vital wetlands.

(This story is supported by the Promise of Commons Fellowship, focusing on the significance of Commons and its community stewardship.)

Cover Photo - A glimpse of unauthorised fishing (Photo - Rahul Singh, 101Reporters)