CSOs petition CM to rejuvenate Irum River
Source: Chronicle News Service

Kakching, December 30 2024: Nine organisations of Kakching district submitted a memorandum to the chief minister urging for protection, rejuvenation, and development of the Irum River, a wetland and water body stretching from Kakching Lamdong to Irengband, Hawairou, and Mairenbam.

The memoran dum was jointly submitted by Irum Ningthou Thougal Lup, JNGVO, AKCCC, KBB-WA, KANL, KKAIL, AKKSU, AIFA, and VCC, highlighting the urgent need for interven tion against encroachers who claim to possess suspicious pattas on state land.

According to the memorandum, the Irum River, associated with the ancestral tradition of the much-worshipped local deity Ibudhou Irum Ningthou, holds cultural and environmental significance.

It serves as an important site for rituals, including annual Lai-Haraoba performed at Irum Ningthou Laikol in Kakching Mayai Leikai and Irengband.

The river has historically been a source of water for irrigation, domestic use, and drink ing consumption under the Irum Water Supply Scheme, benefitting the villagers of Irengband, Hawairou, Mairenbam, and Sora Karanchi.

The organisations stated that the Irum River has become severely shrunken due to encroachments on state land under CS Dag Nos 246, 247, 299, 300, 318, 319, 320, 321, and 322 on Sheet No 1 of 63-Kakching Wairi.

They alleged that some individuals generated bogus pattas in connivance with officials in the land resources department, leading to public resentment that could escalate into widespread protests.

The memorandum called for immediate eviction of encroachers and measures to dredge, widen, and construct embankments on both sides of the river.

Stressing the traditional and environmental importance of the wetland, the organisations appealed for the CM's intervention in safeguarding this heritage site.

The petitioners emphasised that protecting the Irum Turel would serve the larger interests of the people of Kakching, Irengband, Hawairou, and Mairenbam, preserving its cultural legacy and ensuring sustainable water resource management for the region.

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