Settlement Mapping by Ghata and Gautampuri Residents

Though the phenomenon of climate change was communicated to the community, it was also important to understand climate change from the standpoint of the community. Prior exercises like photovoice and FGDs were conducted to orient the community towards the phenomenon of climate change. After building their understanding of climate change through different activities, it was now time to facilitate them to apply their understanding to their everyday life and link instances to climate change.  

Climate change frameworks can be applied to different regions on earth but in order to understand the changes in any community, it is important to talk to the community to understand their lived experiences. A resource mapping exercise was planned in the community with the adolescents and women to understand the water geography of the village and to explore the different ways in which water or water bodies influenced the everyday lives of residents of Ghata and Gautampuri.

The settlement map prepared on the floor was translated into a hand-drawn map on chart paper by the adolescents. A de-brief of the settlement mapping activity was conducted with the adolescents to identify the resources marked on the map and to understand the significance for the community. The youth were encouraged to identify the issues related to water in the community and how it affects them, especially in the rainy seasons. Since the resource map was made on a public road, the adolescents were joined by other members of the community, who collectively identified areas in the community where waterlogging occurred frequently if the area was to be flooded. The facilitators also helped them identify the consequences of stagnant water on human health if the root cause behind such issues was not identified and addressed at the right time. 

The map was also helpful in the debriefing of the community with university students, later on, who had also prepared a map from the ‘expert’ point of view during the transect walk in communities in Ghata as well as Gautampuri. The synthesis of community wisdom and expert knowledge would result in process of co-creation of knowledge and in the preparation of actionable plans that was inclusive and reflected the true needs of the community. The adolescents were trained to read expert maps of the community and to identify the spatial changes in the landscape and water resources. The realization upon seeing a diminishing green  and blue cover on a satellite image of their village and increasing temperatures in the city was enough to get them to think collectively about how the adverse effects of climate change can be addressed through community-led adaptation.