The Loktak Lake, one of the seven notified lakes of International importance in the Indian subcontinent, as declared in the Ramsar Convention, is the largest freshwater lake in the North-Eastern region.The lake is located at 93o46'E-93o55'E and 24o25'N-24o42'N. The lake, rich in biological diversity, comprises of separate wetlands, locally called the pat (Loktak pat, Ungamen pat, Kharung pat, Takmu pat etc).The characteristic feature of the lake is the presence of the floating biomass covered with heterogeneous mass of soil, vegetation and organic matter in different stages of decay, locally known as the phumdis. Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP) is the largest contiguous mass of phumdis providing natural habitat to the highly endangered species, Cervus eldi eldi, locally called Sangai. There are 55 Rural and Urban settlements around the lake with a total population of about 1 lakh people.
The local people depend on the lake for their livelihood. Fishing is the main activity of the majority of the local people.The proliferation of phumdis in the lake after the construction of Ithai barrage, has reached an alarming situation. This has seriously affected the biodiversity and overall fish productivity of the lake. The unique natural up and down movements of the phumdis (floating mats) in the vast expanses of the same in Keibul Lamjao area which generally occurs alternately during summer and winter seasons have been disturbed over the last 30 years or more.
As a result the phumdis are always raised, thus not allowing the same to come into contact with the soil-sediment layer at the bottom of the lake. Thus the supply of sediments to the soil is cut off resulting to depletion of nutrients. There occurs sharp decrease in the population of a number of economic plants (Saccharum species, Setaria pumila, Alpinia nigra, Hedychium spicatum, etc) .As the major food plants like Zizania, Latifolia, Carex species, Coix, species, Narenga are on the decline, the Sangai suffer much from starvation. As the thickness of the phum becomes thinner, the hoofs of the limbs of Sangai get stucked up and they generally suffer from drowning. Thus the population of Sangai and wild bear has become decreased. Production of the edible fruit and rhizome (Thamchet and Thambou) of lotus plant has decreased to a great extent. These plants have also degraded due to polluted water.
Thousands of people who earn their livelihood due to the sale of these plant products have suffered to a great extent. The growth and production of the edible fruit of Euryale ferox (Thanging) has also decreased to 40% only and also many people who earn their livelihood have suffered to a great extent.There is need for taking up of several integrated measures of social, economic and ecological aspect to improve the environmental condition of the lake in order to ensure sustainable development of the lake and its resources. |