Scripting a tragedy for Manipur : Insensitive and indifferent
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: March 26, 2013 -

Scripting the tragedy of Manipur. An indifferent public and an insensitive Government.

A near perfect cocktail to script the unfolding tragedy that is staring Manipur in her face.

'Waterbed drops from 20 ft to more than 50 ft' ran the headline in the March 18 edition of The Sangai Express.

This was followed by 'Nambul water unfit for human use, poses health hazards' in the March 22 edition and on March 25 it was 'Lamphelpat turned into a concrete jungle'.

A damning statement on how an indifferent public and an insensitive Government can combine to draw the frightening stories that have been published.

The land we till, the air we breathe and the water we drink are our natural resources but obviously this fundamental fact has not registered in the consciousness of the people and the Government and this is the reason why the unchecked quarrying at the side of Sekmai river has depleted the level of the underground water at the adjoining areas like Kanglatongbi.

Dumping garbage and releasing effluents into Nambul river is the reason why the water is today unfit for human use.

Littering Lamphelpat with not only waste material and garbage collected from Imphal but also with huge and ugly Government structures is the reason why Imphal faces the problem of floods, everytime there is a downpour.

Does not need rocket science technology to understand these points.

Yet the frightening part is, no one seems ready to learn a lesson or two.

Speaks volumes about the mindset of the people who do not hesitate to empty their trash bins into their own water sources and says something significant about the Government which refuses to acknowledge that more the structures come up in Lamphelpat, the more vulnerable the eco-system of Imphal becomes.

Maybe not yet time to press the alarm button, but the warning signs are ominously real and if all concerned do not take up remedial steps, then the tragedy that would befall Manipur can only be imagined.

It is the refusal of the people, in general, to look beyond their immediate self gratification which is central to the growing pollution of the water bodies and the rivers and streams in Manipur.

The level of pollution of the water in Nambul river is a direct reflection of the mentality of the people, a people who have refused to look beyond their own self and see all things from a bigger perspective, such as the interest of the community.

It is the inability of the Government to lead by example that has led to the gradual degradation of a natural water body like Lamphelpat.

Something has to give.

Manipur cannot continue like this.

Take note of the warning signs and take up corrective measures accordingly.

Why can't the Government enforce huge penalties on people who do not think twice before dumping their waste in the rivers and water bodies that dot the valley areas ? But then again, on second thought this may amount to expecting too much from a Government, which announced a ban on the sale and usage of plastic carry bags amid much hype and fanfare, many years back, but without any follow up action.

Each plastic bag that clogs the roadside drain is a reflection of the utter failure of the Government in implementing its policies and programmes.

Today it is Nambul river, Lamphelpat and the depleting water table at Sekmai river and if things go uncheck it could be something much worse.

Lamphelpat becoming a barren stretch of land is not an impossibility.

Take heed.