Hungry Tide

“The idea behind the documentary is to show the gravity of climate change in the subcontinent. It exposes the disaster climate change is creating in all parts of Bangladesh in many different forms,” says Gandhi,39,who began working on Water World soon after completing his first documentary on climate change,titled On Thin Ice in November 2008.

“This was always perceived as a two-part project and it culminated on the eve of the Copenhagen summit,” he adds. Gandhi was also nominated for an Emmy for his gritty documentary Who Cares About Girls,on trafficking and prostitution in 2008.

Water World highlights the plight of Bangladesh,as one of the front-line states of climate change; it has borne the brunt of cyclones and rising sea levels have eaten away its land. The 24-minute film also shows how the people are adapting constantly. “They grow vegetables on boats and reclaimed islands and live in the fear of losing everything. Children have to study on boats as their school buildings could not stand the impact of floods,” says Gandhi,who,with assistant producer Maher Sattar and co-anchor of PBS NOW,Maria Hinojosa,travelled through Bangladesh,charting the journey of the country’s climate refugees.

Gandhi is now working on a six-part bio-diversity series that will talk about the animal food chain and the proverbial circle of life that is now in peril. “The series will explore the role of industrialisation,human overpopulation,and climate change,” he says. Water World can be viewed at: http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/543/index.html