Loktak fishermen objects to STAP
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Newmai News Network

Imphal, September 18 2013: The All Loktak Lake area Fishermen's Union, Manipur (ALLAFUM) has said it strongly objects to the Short Term Action Plan (STAP) granted to the Loktak Lake Development Authority (LDA) and the reported extension of the plan till March 2014 by the Planning Commission of India to save the lake and its surrounding wetlands, alleging the activities taken up by the LDA are "totally contrary" to those well-established principles of the Ramsar Convention for the wise use of wetlands.

ALLAFUM today said in a statement the Loktak fishermen have never known any state or agency that conducted spot visit to the lake and having interaction with the lake fishermen and that such an action plan has been granted based on the information collected by picking and choosing table-job.

It said, "We question the veracity of the monitoring and evaluation carried out by the Water Institute, Karunya University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu." It added the fact is that a sum of Rs 224 crore was sanctioned to controversial K-Pro Infra Works Private Limited for clearing 2361.21 sq km phumdis in the lake and it was reported that only 122.43 sq cubic phumdis had been cleared from the core zone of the lake that has resulted in shifting the phumdis from one area to another thereby releasing athapum by the fishermen.

Phumdi clearance has resulted in the increase of poor quality water and decrease in the number of indigenous fish like shareng, pengba, khabak, ngaton, ngamu and nganoi, it said, adding migratory birds like nganu kokngangbi, nganu thangong, meitungnga, thoidinglam, tahroichabi have been out of sight in the lake since the commission of Ithai Barrage.

The report by Wetlands International South Asia (WISA) does not truthfully reflect the results of a one-day Stakeholders' Consultation Workshop on "Draft Water Allocation Policy for Loktak Lake" held in Imphal on January 17, 2012, the statement added.

It further added ALLAFUM appeals to all stakeholders, including the Union ministries of Environment and Forests, Fisheries, Rural Development and DoNER, and the local communities to verify the said report before any step is taken on the "pretext" of protecting and promoting the wellbeing of Loktak Lake by the LDA, Government of Manipur and Planning Commission of India.

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