Kongba River: Water abundant yet scarcity prevails
Source: Chronicle News Service / Ngangom Suraj

Imphal, October 26 2023: Mayanglambam Memcha is one among the hundreds, if not, the thousands of people facing the problem of water scarcity despite settling along the banks of Kongba River.

Even though the river has enough water to meet the demand for domestic uses, its current state, which is highly polluted has made its water unusable.

"Over the last decade the intensity of flow of water in Kongba River has drastically reduced probably due to rainfall deficit in the catchment area or large-scale deforestation.

What is more concerning is that due to government negligence on proper waste management plan and lack of awareness, people dump their household wastes into the river, thus, worsening the condition of the river," said 62-year-old Memcha of Kongpal Khaidem Leikai in Imphal East district, who settles along the bank of Kongba River.

Originating from the hill ranges of Senam Kom and Mapao Keithelmanbi in Sadar Hills (East) Block, Kongba River joins Imphal River at Kyamgei Bashikhong Irong confluence in Imphal East district.

Though having a 114.594 square kilometres of catchment area, the River now has water flow at its minimum and to make matter worse it is becoming one of the most polluted rivers in the state.

The look of the once majestic Kongba River today wears the scars of long neglect and lack of proper waste management plan of the government and its authorities concerned.

The river has now become narrower and shallower owing to accumulation of silt and solid waste materials over the years.

Many portions of the river are clogged not only by garbage but also by overgrown aquatic plants such as water hyacinth, thus, preventing sunlight to reach its bed, causing disruption in its ecosystem.

The water in the river has turned completely black in colour and fetid in smell, causing apprehension among the people that the use of this water might cause diseases.

Judging by its current state, Kongba River is likely to disappear if no immediate preventive measures are taken up.

Its disappearance/extinction will also inevitably affect vast tracts of agricultural lands especially in Imphal East district.

According to Memcha, there has never been a proper waste management plan at least in her area apart from some cleanliness drives organised by local volunteers.

Even if an organisation has stepped forward to help address the waste problems by picking up garbage from door to door, many families continue to dump garbage directly into the river or along its banks as the waste collecting NGO charges Rs 200 per month.

Memcha recalled that many fish species used to thrive in the river in the past and the river used to retain water even in the dry or winter season.

The locals used to depend on Kongba River whether it is for agricultural activities or domestic purposes, she said, while pointing out that the condition of the river has deteriorated in the last 6-7 years as untreated sewage is poured into the river from various newly constructed drainage systems.

She informed that with the water in Kongba river not usable, locals are depending on water purchased from private water tankers for domestic use by shelling out about Rs 250 to 300 per 500 litres of water.

This has caused a lot of problem for many poor people like her who are struggling for survival with the meagre income they could earn from doing odd jobs, she stated.

Memcha hoped that immediate intervention of authorities concerned to clean up the river and prevent further degradation to its health by imposing stricter laws against waste management and ensuring stringent punishment of those who violate the laws might be helpful in restoring the river to its pristine condition before it is too late.

When contacted, Directorate of Environment and Climate Change director Th Brajakumar pointed out that the inability of the rivers to retain water is mainly due to large scale deforestation in the catchment areas and drying up of natural springs, which are also one of the factors for fuelling climate change.

He said that when catchment areas have lesser vegetation, the ability to absorb rain water by the soil decreases, thereby discharging the rainwater directly into the river as soon as rains fall.

If the catchment areas have enough vegetation, the rain water could be absorbed and released naturally in a controlled manner.

"When catchment areas are unable to absorb the rain water and regulate the flow of water in the river it becomes easier for the silt and garbage/Waste materials to deposit in the river bed.

This allows the organic matters to decompose rapidly thus emitting methane gas which again is a greenhouse gas contributing to global warming.

This process will also disrupt the natural ecosystem, posing danger to the survival of native species, many of which are on brink of extinction today," the director lamented.

He suggested taking up afforestation programmes in the catchment areas, construction of check dams at specific portion and proper waste management along with awareness campaign and formulating long term policies to help conserve the rivers.

It may be mentioned here that while almost the entire stretch of Kongba River is heavily polluted, its section at Kongpal Kongkham Leikai in Imphal East district is surprisingly quite clean though not safe for use as it should be to, thanks to the dedication of the local clubs and volunteers who not only regularly clean the river but also restrict people from dumping waste into the river and its banks.

If they can make a change, why not others, is a million-dollar question.

Commitment of the people settling along the river bank as well as the government is needed for conserving the Kongba River and bring it back to its original form once again.

(This report has been filed under the 4th Media Fellowship Programme on Climate Change Reporting sponsored by the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change, government of Manipur) .

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