Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 11:
Contrary to popular perception, the head of the LDA Research Laboratory Dr Kosigen today dropped a bombshell when he observed that removing all the phums from the Loktak Lake will spell ecological disaster.
This was divulged to newsman when w team of mediapersons along with the Project Director of LDA visited Ningthoukhong to inspect the project taken up by the LDA and WISA under the India-Canada Environment Facility.
Talking to newsmen today at Ningthoukhong where the LDA research laboratory is located, Dr Kosigen said that if the phums are removed then there wouldn�t be any body to absorb the nutrients deposited by the numerous rivers which empty itself at Loktak Lake.
If the phums are completely removed it would disturb the ecological balance of the lake, he said.
Th Manihar, Project Director, LDA said the government has given the go ahead signal to clear 60 percent of the phums from the lake but the work could not be taken up so far due to lack of fund.
According to experiments conducted at the laboratory, it has been found that the degree of nutrients emptied at the lake is one of the reasons for the rapid increase of phums at the lake, he said.
The pH-value of the lake�s water hovers between 6.12 and 9.6.Stating that the water of Loktak is unfit for human consumption, Dr Kosigen said that in a single test tube, the water of the lake was found to contain 500-600 strands of Coliform bacteria.