Assessment of socio-economic status of the Kolar River fisher communities in Sehore district, Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

Fisheries play an important role in supporting livelihoods and providing food for over one billion people around the world. The study aims to better understand fishermen's livelihood patterns in the Kolar River basin, a tributary of the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh, India. The current study was conducted from September 2020 to June 2022 to assess the livelihood status of the traditional fishing community of the Kolar River adjacent to the Bhopal region. During the study period, data were collected from 14 villages as well as Veerpur, Amdoh, Lawakhadi, Jholiyapur, Jharpipli, Lohapathar, Magarpath, Saras, Dabri, Balondiya, Bawadia, Khaamkhera, Sallikhera, and Jivantal near the Kolar River stretch via a well-structured questionnaire survey. A total of 200 fishermen were chosen at random to be interviewed. The findings of the study revealed some fascinating information. The majority of the fishermen ranged in age from 24 to 55, with 70% being joint and 30% nuclear. Almost 71% of the fishermen were illiterate, relying on the village government school and hospital (which served as a secondary school for the rest of the population). To catch fish, they use trap gill nets and cast nets. According to the investigation, the majority of the houses (65%) were Kaccha, with Pakka houses housing 27% of the people. It was discovered that fish farmers were dealing with a variety of issues, including social, economic, and technical issues.