Once this year’s monsoon wraps up, 250 students in one of the world’s richest but most fragile ecosystems, will have a new school to go to. The Sundarbans in West Bengal comprises closed and open mangrove forests, mudflats and barren land, all intersected by numerous tidal streams and channels. That it lies in the delta created by the meeting of three rivers, Brahmaputra, Padma and Meghna, makes it ecologically precarious. Prone to storms and floods, the area faces the adversities of climate change. A report by Mumbai-headquartered agency Observer Research Foundation points to the need for investments in resilient infrastructure.

The building of The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School is oriented to maximise the prevailing wind and keep sunlight out. PICS COURTESY/VINAY PANJWANI