Drying up of Thongjaorok River hits hard breadwinners
Source: Chronicle News Service / Ngangom Suraj

Imphal, July 02 2023: There is no denying the fact that women of Manipur played and are playing significant roles in the socio-economic development of the state and the hard working women of Bishnupur Kha Mamang Leikai are no exception.

Sadly, their livelihood is under serious threat as Thongjaorok River, which they used to depend on, is drying up, thanks to unregulated and injudicious quarrying activities.

Thongjaorok is a rain-fed river which originated from the Laima-ton-Loiching hill ranges between Bishnupur and Oinam on the west -ern side of the Imphal valley.

Total length of the river from its source to the confluence with the Loktak Lake at Tekra Pat is about 15.5 km, out of which about 8.5 km is spread in th#hills and remaining 7 km in the valley portion.

From sand and stone pebbles to boulders, all sorts of raw materials used in construction works were in abundance just a couple of de cades back and the river used to be life-giver for many people.

Unfortunately, unregulated and unsustainable excavation and quarrying activities along the river banks and beds for several years, beyond the River's capacity to recover, led to exhaustion of its precious minor mineral quarries, consequently leaving the locals who relied on the river for various purposes, such agriculture and sand mining, devastated.

Experts are of the view the disappearance of the river will affect the temperature of the region, alter precipitation pattern, impact local ecosystem, increase desertification and impact the social and economic activities, thus, contributing to climate change.

With the river under serious threat of drying up and the once life-giving source turned into mud pools, women labourers and miners have no other choice but to abandon their occupations and seek for alternatives which again is no easy task in a state like Manipur where rate of unemployment is very high.

Talking to one Mantrimayum Jamuna (63), a former miner and labourer as well as an active member of a registered body christened "Thongjaorok Quarry Women Labour Union", formed in the mid-90s, it came to light that since time immemorial almost every family settling along the Thongjaorok River depended on it for livelihood.

From raw materials used' in construction to drinking water and irrigation, the river provided them all their requirements, she added.

However unsustainable way of quarrying and mining activities using heavy machinery over the last decade or so, has led to the depletion of its minerals, leaving many families especially illiterate women folk jobless or shift to new occupations, she added.

Holding politicians and other powerful people responsible for the river's depletion, Jamuna recalled that huge amount of sand and pebbles were extracted for repairing roads and construction of other structures in the name of public interest especially in the run to elections, leaving the river as mud pools.

As condition of the river deteriorated, the authorities have now imposed ban on all mining activities leaving many in the lurch, Jamuna stated.

She said, "Since 1980s I had been working as manual miner as primary source of income for the family providing food and education for the children.

Now that mining has been restricted and again finding new occupation is almost impossible being illiterate and owning no farm land, we work as cultivators which is not very profitable and is also season-based" .

Even as mining has been restricted along the river banks and beds, the restriction seems to be valid only at the valley stretch of the river as many continue mining activities including use of heavy machineries along the hilly stretch.

Apart from this unjust restriction, several small dams have reportedly been constructed on the upstream.

Moreover, large scale deforestations in the hills have interrupted the flow of the river, thus hindering the natural process of replenishment," she remarked.

Similarly, disappearance of the river is impacting source of water, she said, adding that even during rainy days, the river could not hold much water resulting in disappearance of several aquatic plants and species, Jamuna noted.

Chipping in one Thingjujam Kunjabati said, "Life was easier when mining was allowed as one could easily earn Rs 300-500 a day just by using a hammer.

But now with depletion of the river, even people residing along the river bank are purchasing sand and other construction materials from Serou, Sekmai, etc.

Due to shortage of income children are forced to leave private schools to either continue education at the affordable government schools or drop out of school" .

Both opined that through sustainable approach including afforestation in the catchment area, regulate mining activities and proper intervention of the government would not only restore the river but also ensure sustainable source of income to the locals once again.

In the regard, Directorate of Environment and Climate Change deputy director Dr T Brajakumar Singh pointed out that the traditional means of quarrying has nothing to do with climate change while extensive mining activities to the extent of drying up of a river can directly impact the climatic condition of the region.

According to Dr Brajakumar rivers play a crucial role in regulating local temperatures by providing a source of moisture and influencing local climate patterns.

When a river dries up, the loss of water can lead to increase in temperature in the surrounding area.

Rivers also contribute to the water cycle by evaporating water into the atmosphere, which then falls back to the ground as precipitation.

When a river dries up, the reduction in available water can disrupt the local water cycle, potentially leading to altered precipitation patterns in the region.

The drying up of a river can severely destroy local ecosystems, leading to loss of biodiversity and ecological imbalances which can effect the climate patterns, Dr Brajakumar said, adding that, it can also increase desertification risk and worsen climate change of a region by reducing vegetation cover and releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere.

As river system played an important role in maintaining temperature, Brajakumar suggested that in order to mitigate climate change particularly of a region, conserving river is crucial.

Identification and conservation of recharge zones, afforestation in catchment areas, reducing speed of anthropogenic activities, regulating mining activities, conducting awareness campaigns and leaving the river beds undisturbed for at least 30 years can restore the river, he stated.

The drying up of Thongjaorok River serves as wake-up call to practice sustainable and responsible resource management.

Therefore, preserving and safeguarding natural resources should be a collective effort to fight climate change.

(The report is filed under the 4th state level media fellowship programme on climate change reporting under the sponsorship of Directorate of Environment and Climate Change, Government of Manipur) .

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