The End Game

Entry 15

Synopsis: Loktak Lake is an ancient lake and plays an important role in the economy of Manipur, but the lake is under threat now. The root cause can be traced to loss of vegetal cover in the catchment area and construction of Ithai barrage. The degradation of the catchment area has led to the problems of siltation and increased flow of nutrients. Changes in the hydrological regimes thereby affecting ecological processes and functions of the wetland; inundation of agricultural lands and displacement of people from flooded lands; and loss of fish population and diversity; and decrease in the thickness of phoomdies in Keibul Lamjao National Park thereby threatening the survival of Sangai deer too.