Underwater ecosystem is something most of us haven’t explored. Vidhi Bubna from Mumbai, wanted to experience the marine life. Her first diving adventure, at the age of 23, turned out to be sad. Vidhi anticipated seeing a lot of colours underwater, as she had seen on Nat Geo and other travel channels, but all she found were white corals, which implies they were bleached to death.
Most people, however, are unaware of underwater ecosystem, marine ecology and its pollution because it is rarely discussed about climate change.
Every year, around 300–400 million tonnes of toxic substances, solvents, toxic sludge, and other industrial waste are discharged into the world’s seas. Coral reefs are also dying as a result of warming waters, pollution, acidification of the oceans, and exploitation.
As per a study done by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, more than 80% of worldwide wastewater is released directly into the ecosystem without proper treatment.
Raising awareness of the underwater ecosystem
Vidhi is an Ashoka University economics graduate who hates working with numbers and instead prefers to write on social topics such as women’s rights, minority issues, and the LGBTQ+ community.
Vidhi, an avid trekker and adventurer, started scuba diving last year to discover the undersea world. Her outrage at the state of losing coral reefs inspired her to start Coral Warriors, a non-profit organisation dedicated to raising awareness about underwater ecosystem, marine conservation and climate change.
They want the candidates to work on a climate change project of their choice after they return, where they will focus on a topic, form communities and seek to raise awareness and drive action-oriented programmes.
India’s first and only diving grant
Nobody understands climate change until they witness it for themselves she believes. India’s first and only diving grant is offered by this Mumbai-based organisation. The Rs 70,000 grant covers the cost of a level one scuba diving course in any Indian region of their choice, including Lakshadweep, Goa, Puducherry, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
While no precise criteria exist, Vidhi claims that the selection process is tough to find applicants who are enthusiastic concerning climate change and wish to participate in the activism of their choosing. So far, the funding has been awarded to four individuals, with the organisation hoping to send at least five persons each year.
They want the candidates to work on a climate change project of their choice after they return, where they will focus on a topic, form communities and seek to raise awareness and drive action-oriented programmes.
Educating about underwater endangered species
Vidhi has been raising awareness about the Brazilian Guitarfish, a critically endangered species found in the Andamans, Maldives, and Brazil, following her own diving experience. She’s created a WhatsApp group with public policy experts, journalists, environmentalists, and marine biologists from all over the world to discuss and explore strategies to save the species.
Vidhi was giving free online workshops to raise awareness about underwater ecosystem, marine biodiversity and climate change before founding Coral Warriors, and she had addressed about 5,000 people through them.
The grant is supported by a small group of persons on the organization’s board of directors. The finance periodically, and one of them is a maker on the Netflix documentary Chasing Corals.
Vidhi intends to work on documentaries with high-quality underwater photographs and videos for the next step, recognising that not everyone can afford or muster the confidence to go dive and see what is unfolding underwater.
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