By Donald Takhell, Ningthoujam Victor and Alexy Thiyam for Citizen Journalist, The Frontier Manipur
The fate of Loktak Lake is at a critical juncture; made to conform to this stage of decay by the unchecked, unbalanced, untreated pollutants, sewage, and oil particles brought down by the different rivers and rivulets that feed the dying Lake.
Every monsoon when the river rises, with silt, with pollutants, with medical wastes, etc it flows down to Loktak bringing all the filth. Pollution at the lake or water bodies is a natural indicator of systematic institutional failure.
This year, villagers of Champu Khangpok witnessed extreme levels of pollution ever witnessed in recent times. Birahari and Yangbi area of the Lake has been the worst affected area. Charang (Hydrilla) that are abundant underwater in the lake are rotting large and small fishes, prawns and rare species are dying. Fishing nets and gears are stained with oily-greasy substances and fishers are having a hard time cleaning their nets and gears. Fishers have to sail their canoes and search for clean water for domestic usage.
This has made life difficult for the fisher-folks and further reduces their earnings. And at this precarious time of the ongoing Pandemic, when the markets are closed, public transports halted and fishing grounds polluted; what can the fisher-folks hope for? Pollution is not a NATURAL phenomenon and all have to understand this.