ALLAFUM appeals to rescue dying Loktak Lake

IMPHAL, July 7: The All Loktak Lake Areas Fishermen’s Union Manipur (ALLAFUM) appealed to all government agencies, every section of people, NGOs, CBOs, CSOs, fishers, wetlands dependents, intellectuals, human rights defenders, environmentalists, legal experts, researchers, students and law makers to rescue the dying Loktak lake by looking into the matters besides contributing valuable inputs.

Strongly objecting the statement made by the Loktak Development Authority (LDA) in connection with the report of rejuvenation of the Loktak, Secretary of ALLAFUM Oinam Rajen, in a statement, here alleged that the report was nothing “but a table work without field works in the Loktak.”

Earlier, LDA had claimed to have taken up activities like management of phumdis, improvement of drainage system, de-siltation at the critical areas, construction of cross regulator, catchment area conservation, construction of sanitary toilets, biodiversity, enhancement of fish resources with the establishment of hatchery, afforestation in catchment areas, thereby claiming overall improvement of the lake in various aspects.

On the contrary, ALLAFUM alleged that Nambul, Nambol, Ninghtoukhong, Moirang and other rivers and its tributaries from Manipur hills and valley have been depositing numerous urban and rural wastes that cause pollution and siltation into the Loktak that have never been addressed by LDA in the past and present. Ungamel and Khordak rivers natural flow is totally disturbed by Ithai dam. Hence, improvement of drainage system, channelization of river/ streams, diversion channel etc were just blatant lie, it alleged.

It also claimed that the construction of sanitary toilets in the Loktak Champu Khangpok villages has never been implemented till date even though the Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change has directed the state government to take up its actions.