Imphal, June 5, 2017: In an exemplary act of making this year theme “Connecting People to Nature” more meaningful, a group of people which includes professors, research scholars, students, journalists, filmmakers, environmentalists and activists belonging to different institutes and organisations including NGOs and CSOs sailed through the scattered phumdis of the Loktak Lake today, experiencing the lake’s natural habitat, to gather at the floating school on lake for celebration the World Environment Day, which is celebrated globally every year on June 5. Today’s observance was organised by Loktak Union, a collective body of different NGOs and CSOs working for the betterment of the Loktak Lake and its people.
While speaking to the gathering of the ocassion, RK Nimai Singh, IAS retd., who was present as one of the dias members, stated that Loktak Lake has become more and more polluted over the years through different and numerous types of wastes flowing along the rivers which fall on the Loktak Lake. The quality of the lake water has become too contaminated and the lake has been facing multidimentional issues in the past few years. We need to make people aware of the multidimentional problems and issues being faced by the lake. We have to study and understand such issues and problems before taking up any intervention to solve such problems. RK Nimai further stated that there may be differences in the perspectives of the government and the people, but we need to sit down together and share our views to solve the problems.
Prof. Konsam Saratchand Singh, Guest Faculty, Manipur University, who was also a dias member of the function, stated that Loktak Lake, which is the biggest freshwater lake in the north east region, has been a source of livelihood of the people living in and around the lake since time immemorial. The fishes of this lake are a good source of protien for the people of the state. However, since the water of the lake has become so polluted, we are facing a threat to consume these fishes which might have become contaminated. Prof. Saratchand expressed that it’s high time we need to be responsible and think of a solution to curb these harmful pollutants. We also need to chalk out a way to rehabilitate the fishermen who have been suffering all these years, he added.
Dr. RK Ranjan, Convenor, INTACH Manipur lamented over the unplanned development projects taken up by the past governments, which are effecting our land and environment. He also expressed his fear over the ongoing exploration of oil extraction which might lead to an adverse affect to our land.
During the observance, Salam Rajesh, Senior Journalist spoke about the changing status of the Loktak Lake. President of ALLAFUM H. Kumar, President of CRAM Sanatomba Laishram and representatives of the NGOs and CSOs present today also shared their views about the issues related to Loktak Lake.
The highlight of today’s observance was the presentation of a self-compose song on Loktak Lake by Akhu Chingangbam. As a part of the observation, seeds of water caltrop, locally known as ‘heikrak’ were also sown in different parts of the lake.
World Environment Day is the biggest annual event for positive environmental action and takes place every 5 June. Since its inception in 1972, global citizens have organized many thousands of events, from neighbourhood clean-ups, to action against wildlife crime, to replanting forests.
The theme for World Environment Day 2017 ‘Connecting People to Nature’ implores us to get outdoors and into nature, to appreciate its beauty and its importance, and to take forward the call to protect the Earth that we share.
Today’s World Environment Day observation was also attended by representatives of ALLAFUM, CRAM, PRDA, RNBA, NPMHR, Core, Irabot Foundation, Indigenous Perspective, and students of Delhi School Of Social Work, Tata Instititute Of Social Sciences, Mumbai, JNU, New Delhi (DIPR)
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