Public meet/rally flay barrage
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 25 2013:
A public meeting cum mass rally held at Hayel Hangool, Thoubal dis-trict today demanded de- commissioning of Ithai Barrage as well as Sekmai Barrage and demanded commensurate com-pensation for the paddy culti- vation and fish farms inundated due to blocking of water currents by the two barrages.
Earlier, excess water accumulated at Ikop Pat and Kha- rung Pat was drained out to Manipur river by a natural process and people settled around the two wetlands rarely faced flood situations.
But since the past 30 years, people settled around Kha-rung Pat and Ikop Pat have been enduring artificial flood regularly after the course for draining out excess water was blocked by man made barriers.
After the Ithai Barrage was commissioned across Mani-pur river as a part of the Lok- tak Hydro Electric Power Project, water level of Mani-pur river in the upstream al- ways remains high and it resulted in much higher water levels in the canals/channels connecting Ikop Pat and Kha-rung Pat to Manipur river.
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High water level in the up-stream of Manipur river is the main factor for flooding paddy fields, fish farms, play grounds, roads and homesteads, observed majority of the speakers who addressed the public meeting held at Merciful English School, Hangool.
After the meeting was over, people took out a mass rally from the school campus up to Santhel.
The public meeting cum mass rally was jointly organised by the United NGOs Mission Thoubal district, Integrated Rural Development Agency and Khelakhong to Sekmaijin Area People's Organisation.
Later, a three-point memorandum was dispatched to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Union Home Minister, Union Agriculture Minister, Governor Ashini Kumar and Chief Minister O Ibobi.
The memorandum highlighted that water level of Manipur river in the upstream of Ithai barrage always remains high because of blocking the water current which results reversal of water current from Manipur river to canals/channels connecting the river to Ikop Pat and Kharung Pat.This in turn has terminated the natural process of draining out excess water from Kharung Pat and Ikop Pat to Manipur river resulting in artificial floods in and around the two wetlands.It conveyed that around 500 villages located around Ikop Pat and Kharung Pat have been flooded for the past one week apart from inundating several hectares of paddy fields and a number of fish farms.
However, the Government has paid little attention to the woes of the people although they have been facing similar situations every year.
The memorandum demanded de-commissioning of Ithai Barrage, Sekmai Barrage as well as Loktak Hydro Electric Project, compensation for inundated paddy fields and fish farms and withdrawal of NHPC from Manipur.
Placards which read "Stop dam construction, save paddy fields", "No dam, no barrage", "Save life", "We hate dams", "Demolish Sekmai Barrage and Ithai Barrage, "Go back NHPC", "Compensate flood affected agricultural lands and fish farms" etc were carried throughout the course of the mass rally.