Wetlands revival efforts reaping fruit
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: February 04, 2025 -

WITH the state experiencing droughtlike situation every year since the last 15-20 years, it is hoped that the BJP-led government's endeavour to revive and preserve water bodies, including rivers and wetlands, bears fruit at the earliest possible.

Apart from the general population, gravity of the water shortage crisis besetting the state with each passing year has been acknowledged by government officials including that of the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change who had been confiding that the state government is in the process of framing a policy for treatment of sewage water to make it reusable, even for consumption.

That the government is leaving no stone unturned to protect the environment through revival and preservation of water bodies and wetlands could also be acknowledged from chief minister N Biren stating at the state level observance of World Wetlands Day on Sunday that many rivers, lakes and water bodies in the state are being rejuvenated to protect their ecosystem and the surrounding environment.

It is also commendable that the water bodies are being redeveloped for beautification and promotion of eco-tourism as the people of strife-torn Manipur are in dire need for recreational space accessible by all sections of the population.

Other than providing recreational avenues, successful revival and protection of the water bodies would be crucial in ensuring that the masses do not reel under the impact of drought-like situation and the marginalised section of the forced to spend their hard earned money in purchasing water from private suppliers as is the case every year during the lean season.

ln view of the unprecedented destruction already caused to the natural forests in the hill areas through clearance of land for poppy plantation, there is no doubt that it would be a herculean task to effectively address the water shortage crisis associated with the state since the last many years.

While the United Nations set June 5 for observing World Environment Day to seek ways of promoting and improving the Earth's environment, such as conserving forests, through varied activities that include street rallies and parades, as well as concerts, tree planting, and clean-up campaigns, to ultimately attract political attention and action towards improving the environment, observance of the World Wetlands Day is very much relevant and significant event for Manipur if one takes into account about historians' tales that ancient Manipur kingdom had around 700 wetlands, which shrunk to 550 as per a report published by the Surveyor of India in 1970, and further declined to only 113 according to the Digital Survey Report of Manipur State Remote Sensing Centre published by the State Wetlands Authority some six years back.

As such, success in preserving the wetlands and lakes from complete disappearance would not only help mitigate the problem of water shortage to some extent but the N Biren government will have the bragging right and assert that it has averted possible natural disaster of unprecedented scale.

Moreover, if the on-going and upcoming projects to protect the environment fructify, then the government authorities may boast of having reversed the trend of environment degeneration in their speeches during the observance of UN-mandated events such as the World Environment Day and the World Wetlands Day, to name a few, instead of giving assurance to the public to maintain the ecological balance, expressing concern on gradual disappearance of lakes and wetlands and seeking public's cooperation in protecting the natural forests and water bodies as had been the case at such events up to now.