Phumdis of Loktak before NHPC start

Moirangthem Rachandra Singh *

Phumdis in Loktak lake :: Pix - Thingom Premarani

Importance of the biggest fresh water lake in North east "Loktak" of Manipur is increasing day by day with the fast changing world. Before hundreds of years, varieties of local fishes have been favorite dishes for people of Manipur.

The taste of PENGBA, KHABAK, SHARENG, POROM, UKABI, and NGATON are still in the memories and stories remain amongst the people of state. Fishing in this fresh water lake for consumption and selling by the people who settled down along banks of LOKTAK have been very common profession.

At least one lakh families depend on fishing in this lake. HEIKAK (Aquatic growth) and THANGJING, THARO are useful vegetables to many individuals. In short Loktak directly helped many lives in economy.

The lake is playing wonderful role to the people of surrounding villagers. PHUMDI (a natural aquatic growth) is one of the disturbing bio mass floats on water to the fishing communities. The size (length, breadth and thickness) increases fast. Some big size Phumdis can cover an area bigger than one square kilometer. The Phumdis are enemies of fishermen and villagers around Loktak.

The water level of loktak is high during rainy months and very low during dry months. Phumdi masses dried during dry months and can't grow fast instead Phumdis died in many areas. The people use to send down along ITHAI River by cutting smaller sizes. This was the only available means to remove PHUMDIS from Loktak.

Village leaders and group's voluntarity come out to fight Phumdis. The growth rate was slow before the start of NHPC in state. There were cases of collection of money from all houses of affected villages just to clear Phumdis through ITHAI river. Method of cutting Phumdis into smaller sizes and sending down along ITHAI river was very effective and could control the annual growth of Phumdis.

With the start of NHPC at Ningthoukhong and with closure of ITHAI River by making artificial dam, the water level of Loktak remains always constant high. The expansion growth of size of phumdi becomes faster. The different types a aquatic growth come up in thick in this lake. All these growths are giving hudge disturbance to the fishermen and inhabitants around Loktak.

People who do research on the growth of phumdis and other aquatic growths in Loktak can tell the speed of growth. So long as the water level of loktak remains high the natural process of increasing phumdis and other aquatic plants will remain as a phenomenon.

One time clearance will not solve the problem of phumdis and other bio-mass, people of the surrounding villages have to remain suffer with existing system of cleaning phumdis of loktak lake, because the original natural process of loktak have been disturbed with the introduction of NHPC at Ningthoukhong.