WETLANDS SHRINK IN THE FACE OF URBANIZATION

Source : The Sangai Express
IMPHAL, Feb 1: Wetland areas of Manipur where fishing activities can be taken up naturally has shrunken from one lakh hectare in 1993 to 56,491 hectare today, thus recording a loss of over 40,000 hectares in the face of increasing human population, siltation and urbanisation.
This startling revelation has come about even as the State is gearing up for the observance of World Wetland Day tomorrow.
An official source disclosed to The Sangai Express that till 1993 wetland areas of Manipur where fishing activities could be taken up was over one lakh hectares. But it has been reduced to 56,491 hectares only today.
Apart from siltation of the wetlands, increasing human population and its associated development of urbanisation are at the root causes of the shrinkage, the source explained, while pointing out that Public Health Engineering Department has been recently entrusted with the responsibility of developing Waithoupat as a reservoir for supply water to the people of Thoubal district.
Out of the available wetland areas of 53,461 hectares including Loktak lake, just around 19,000 hectares have been brought under fishing activities, the source further disclosed, adding that under the National Fishery Board, State Fishery Department has taken up steps to assist the fishermen in digging new ponds towards promotion of fishing activities.
It is said that the demand of fish in Manipur is 25,600 metric tonne annually. But the fish production of the State is only 18,800 metric tonne. The demand gap is thus being filled up from importing fishes from other States of the country.
On the other hand, the Fishery Department has discussed implementation of an external aided project for increasing the efficiency of fishing activities by providing motor operated fibre boats to 2000 fishermen of the State.
To be funded by the Japanese Government under its Grant Aid Programme, a project report in this regard has already been submitted by the Fisheries Department to the Planning Department.
In case of approving the project, in the last phase, motor-operated fibre boats would be provided to 5000 fishermen, the source informed, adding that the application of these motor-operated fibre boats would not only increase the efficiency of the fishermen but would also help in improving the environment.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh today chaired a meeting attended by officials
of the Department concerned to discuss matters related to protection and development of the existing wetlands in Lamphel.
The meeting also decided to cancel patta land issued against some portion of the wetland fraudently as well as those settling around the site where National Institute of Technology (NIT) is proposed to be constructed.