Manipur state celebrated the World Wetlands Day with two events instead of one on February 2 this year. The theme was common to both, “ Restoring Wetland for our Common Future”.
One event was organised by the Loktak Development Authority (LDA) at Sendra with the Governor as the Chief Guest.
The other event, organized at Leishang Hiden by the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change was attended by the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary. The venue isn’t a wetland, it is a water channel. But that was lost upon the organisers.
The state’s official agency for protecting wetlands, the Manipur State Wetlands Authority (MSWA), quite oddly, did not find a mention as an organiser for the event. One wonders why those in power decided that the authority which is vital for wetlands is best forgotten by the people of Manipur even on its marquee event.
Local newspapers and channels did report widely on the events. One mentioned that the “CM is implementing a project to rejuvenate Lamphelpat with a budget of Rs 640 crore, the Chief Minister said that the Government has been putting in efforts to evict the encroachers from Lamphelpat”. The
At the Sendra event, the LDA Chairman repeated official homilies that value the wetlands, praise the state and hide the truth. News reports cite him: “highlighted deep cultural, ecological, and socio-economic significance of Loktak Lake, initiatives taken by LDA and the state government to restore and conserve the lake, the largest freshwater body in Northeast India and a Ramsar site of international importance, stating that Loktak is not just an ecological treasure but a symbol of the state’s rich heritage”.
The event was star studded. The Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla and works minister Konthoujam Govindas were present as chief guest and president respectively. In addition there was Kumbi MLA Sanasam Premchandra, LDA chairman M Asnikumar, senior government officials, forest and environment department representatives, 59 Mountain Brigade commander Brigadier AA Ukidwe, principal chief conservator of forests Anurag Bajpai, principal secretary (forest, environment & climate change) Arun Kumar Sinha, health commissioner Sumant, special secretary (forest, environment & climate change) RK Amarjit, DC & SP of Bishnupur district.
But, let’s not be deceived with the line-up for the event. That is not a marker of either real work or the real intentions. We need a reality check so that the people are not fooled repeatedly. Is the state really making any effort to save Loktak and other wetlands from further destruction? Going beyond the once-a-year events to find the truth is important. Is the state actually making effort to restore and manage the wetlands it cannot be done individually or by small collectives such as an NGO who are being threatened regularly for not taking permission from LDA. Without the state’s efforts the wetlands cannot be restored and managed. But here we find the burden left to small collectives and NGOs, who too at times get threatened by the LDA for doing so ‘without permissions’..
These two elaborate events were smokescreens. This is how.
Smokescreen One–
Here is what the state has done so far. The WR2017 requires all the states in India to set up the State Wetlands Authority, prepare a list of all the wetlands in the state, prepare Brief Documents of each of these wetlands and then Notify these Wetlands. The MSWA was set up right after the rules were framed in 2017. It was a good start. According to MSWA, till date Brief Documents have been prepared for a total of 23 wetlands. And, yet none of these have been notified.
What does it mean that no Wetlands have been notified? This means that as of today the state has no legally-protected wetlands. As far as government records go, it implies there are no wetlands in Manipur!
From 2017 the state has been delaying notification of our wetlands. If these wetlands were to be officially notified the government wouldn’t be able to destroy them with harmful projects, such as the large-scale tourism project they tried at Loktak under the funding of ADB. WR2017 lists activities that are prohibited, those that are to be regulated and those which are allowed in the wetland area and in the zone of influence. Large-scale tourism developers and encroachers fear these norms being applied on Manipur’s wetlands.
To imagine, even Loktak has not been notified as yet. Loktak has been under the watchful eye of the LDA since 1986. Since 2006 it has, at least on paper, got more teeth with the Loktak Protection Act. Yet till date it has neither finalised the ‘brief documents’, nor demarcated the boundary of the water body. It has not been able to identify the encroachers either. The LDA’s failure is shameful.
Looking at the ‘Brief Documents’ prepared by MSWA it is indeed clear no proper work has been done for any of the wetlands. Detailed Information, such as that on encroachers and community fisherfolks is missing.
Interestingly, MSWA has also prepared the scantily prepared Brief Document for Lamphelpat. At the event the CM announced a hefty amount of Rs 665 crore for Lamphelpat Waterbody Rejuvenation Project. This money is being borrowed from New Development Bank (NDB) which is also known as the BRICS bank. In the project summary there is no mention of wetlands. The project is to be handled by the Water Resource Department with no involvement of the MSWA. Lamphelpat is defined as a Waterbody in the project documents. But, there is no legal category called ‘Waterbody’. Intentionally categorising Lamphelpat as a waterbody the government allows itself to do whatever it pleases even though to the public it claims it is saving Lamphelpat.
Even if the MSWA have prepared the Brief Document, Lamphelpat is not prioritised for notification as a wetland. Wetland features with birds, local and migratory, ponnies will soon be gone as it is seen just as a water body for water storage and tourism. It looks like the CM was trying to mislead the people of Manipur by mentioning that he is going to rejuvenate Lamphelpat on a wetlands day celebration even though this project can end the life of the last remaining wetlands of greater Imphal. I hope to write a more detailed article on this soon.
MSWA Vs LDA?
There is also an apparent conflict between the two state authorities, the MSWA and the LDA. LDA is based on the state law Loktak Protection Act 2006 while the MSWA is based on the National Wetlands Rules of 2017.
Under the Wetland Guidelines of the Union govenrment, the LDA should have been dissolved once the MSWA was set up. But, in Manipur the latter authority seems to be suffering from lack of political support. In an RTI reply (dated 24th July 2024) to this author, the MSWA said it did not even maintain the Brief Document of Loktak and I was asked to approach LDA to obtain it.
The LDA is a money making machine. There are big scams in the past amounting Rs 224 crore — this is known as th LDA scam for clearing of Phumdis. Even today, clearing Phumdis is the agency’s favorite past time. The LDA draws its mandate from the Loktak Protection Act 2006 but the latter does not follow the Ramsar Convention in establishing the Wise Use principle as the basis for conserving the wetland. Perversely, The LPA 2006 identifies the fishers of Loktak as ‘Occupiers’. It is uncertain whether WR2017 and/or LPA2006 is applied to Loktak. If LDA is to remain it must work as subsidiary to MSWA and not act as a separate institution with a different Chairman.
Smokescreen Two
Talking about LDA, let us go to the other Wetlands Day Celebration 2025 at Sendra organized by LDA. This event was graced by the new Governor of Manipur. Sendra was an island but it is now connected by a long strip of road laid with no consideration of the impacts on Loktak.
What will come as a surprise to many is that the Government of Manipur does not consider Sendra as part of Loktak nor within Loktak’s zone of influence. In a letter dated 8th Feb 2021, to the Union environment, forests and climate change ministry (MOEFCC) on the subject of Project Proposal ‘Loktak Lake Eco-Tourism Project’ the then Director and Member Secretary of the Manipur State Wetlands Authority said,, Artificial beach at Sendra which will be developed in the reclaimed land outside the wetland and zone of influence area”.
In other words, Sendra sits outside Loktak wetland and its zone of influence. Only pure ignorance or a complete lack of spine to desist political pressure would make MSWA say so. . The government of Manipur was trying to mislead the MOEFCC and somehow get the loan from ADB. Our technical experts and bureaucrats in cahoots with politicians seemed willing to sell off our wetlands for some contracts kickbacks. It is this triumvirate that is killing our wetlands.
Back at the event,, the LDA Chairman “emphasised that efforts are being made to ensure its sustainable management for future generations”. LDA was tasked to look after Loktak in 1987 and converted into a parastatal agency by the enactment of LPA2006.
Except for a brief period between 1999–2002 which saw the LDA build some knowledge base, the authority has rather little to show as accomplishment. . It has published a mere 6 newsletters in 37 years. LDA has never hired a wetland expert in its team. There were no non-officials nominated to LDA at least till 2018. The Report of the Expert Advisory Committee on “Long-Term Perspective Plan for Conservation and Wise Use of Loktak and Associated Wetlands” identifies that “The LDA lacks a proper governance structures well as the technical capacity to design and advise on matters related to wetland health in general and to develop policy guidelines in particular” [Note-this report, published by LDA, is undated and was likely released around 2022-23].
LDA’s history is marked by a big scam during 2008-09 and this was soon followed by burning and evictions of floating hut dwellers in 2011. Looking at minutes of meetings from April 2007 (the first meeting of LDA right after the passing of LPA 2006) there has been an over emphasis on Phumdi Removal. LDA has tried to bring in motor boats connecting nine villages in and around the lake. But the fishers protested saying their nets will be destroyed, fishing and birds will be disturbed and that their canoes are more suitable to Loktak. LDA had to abandon it. LDA’s destructive plans to establish a big tourism project, funded by the ADB, got held up primarily due to the scrutiny and adverse views of High Court and MOEFCC.
LDA was meant to be a guardian, instead, it has become the principal handyman for the powerful to exploit and destroy Loktak.
I write of these smokescreen events as a beginning of a series of articles that look in granular detail at the happenings around Loktak, which threaten it or bring hope to the people of the state.
All views are of the Author and one can contact at [email protected].
The writer is a social activist.
