Rejuvation of springs and underground water identification meet held at Ukhrul
Source: The Sangai Express / Mungchan Zimik

Ukhrul, August 04 2019: Directorate of Environment, Manipur held a meet on identification of Spring and underground water of Ukhrul district on August 2 at Hotel Shalom Wino Bazar, Ukhrul.

During the meet, Dy Director Brajakumar highlighted about the objectives and concepts of spring rejuvenation and underground water to all the attending villages headmen and elders.

He said that the whole state is now suffering from grim water crisis due to rampant human exploitation of the environment.

According to him, it is an inventory process to locate all the available spring and underground water sources for reviving in order to supply sufficient water to meet the daily requirement of every household for sustenance.

Rejuvation of springs and underground water identification meet held at Ukhrul

Spring rejuvenation is a community participatory movement to make the project successful.

He urged village leaders to identify all the available water sources and come up with concrete decision to protect the traditional water bodies found in their respective villages.

Protection of water bodies must incorporate the decision to preserve the whole periphery of the catchment areas to prohibit from felling trees, he maintained.

While the expert representative from Advance Centre for Water Resource Development and Management (ACWADAM) Imran Siddiqui and Jayesh Desai highlighted about the geological based spring water source, it was mentioned that the organization has worked in different states of India on rejuvenation of springs in Himalayan regions.

They enlightened on spring shed management, tapping the rain water and allow to infiltrate into the ground for recharge in order to replenish water for maintaining hydrological cycle to suffice water demand.

The Villages headmen, elders, VAs mostly from northern Ukhrul Hungpung, Choithar, Shirui, Langtang, Lunghar, Nungbi, Ngahui, Kalhang participated in the meeting.

They all expressed their concern about acute shortage of water in their villages.

Unprecedented drying and disappearance of perennial water bodies that provide water throughout the year became seasonal consequently due to rapid forest depletion in the last decade.

They mentioned that most of the springs source found at lowland while village settled at the hill top hindered the supply of water for them.

The team later went to Shirui and inspected the water source and Hungpung village traditional water ponds for survey and study situation and establish the condition of water seepage from the source.