AMID THE refreshing breeze caressing Zanzibar's Jambiani coast, Hindu Rajabu wades through knee-deep water to a lagoon. Wearing swimming goggles and a snorkel perched on her headscarf, the 31-year-old mother of two cautiously navigates the Indian Ocean to locate her floating sponge farm.
Rajabu is among a handful of women in Jambiani village who in 2020 started to cultivate natural sponges. These fascinating animals are made of loosely arranged cells that surround a skeleton of fibres. The specialised cells, nestled within thousands of tiny chambers, act as microscopic pumps, tirelessly drawing water into the sponge's body with their whip-like tails. This unique pumping mechanism, which helps sponges extract nutrition and oxygen, also purifies the ocean water by removing impurities, including sewage. These sponges are also used for bathing and general hygiene because they are naturally antibacterial and antifungal and can resist odours.
With the tide gently rising, Rajabu submerges herself to reach the buoys cradling the sponge farm. Carefully, she inspects the sponges, suspended from thick polyethylene ropes. Using a knife, she removes any fouling organisms, such as bacteria and fish, which have attached themselves to the ropes. This periodic cleaning is essential to prevent the sponges from being overwhelmed by these unwanted inhabitants. The sponge farms are made of multiple ropes that run parallel to each other. They have sponges at different development stages. "We usually harvest them once a week when we collect the sponges that are big enough to be sold in the market," says Rajabu. Women typically dive deep into the ocean to collect healthy wild sponges, which serve as the foundation for their farms that are set up close to the seashore where water is up to two metres deep. These sponge colonies are then carefully cultivated and fragmented to promote new growth.
この記事は Down To Earth の December 16, 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Down To Earth の December 16, 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara