By: Rajkumari Sunita Devi
2 February each year is celebrated as World Wetlands Day. It marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997 and made an encouraging beginning. Each year, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar Convention in particular. With the suggested World Wetlands Day theme for this year on wetlands, biodiversity and climate change, The Ramsar has proposed 2010 WWD slogan as “Caring for wetlands – an answer to climate change” .
With Loktak already wearing the Ramsar crown, Manipur has occupied a niche in the Global platform. A land originally made up of ‘pats’ it is indeed illustrated in our culture and tradition that we are wetland people. The food habit, the folklores, folktales and water sports like ‘heikru hidongba’, ‘hiyang tannaba’, all symbolizes the love for water and wetlands in particular. The legendary story of Khamba and Thoibi and the dance forms generated from this folktale truly proves that every Manipuri is intricated with wetlands.
With the threats of Climate Change looming above every one of us, it is high time that every Manipuri realizes the significant of wetlands, not just the aesthetic values but the role it plays in global climate change. Manipur has a total of 61558 ha (LRIS, 2003) which is 2.71 % density to total geographical area. Manipur stands 2nd highest in the country in wetland density in landlocked states (J.K. Garg, 2005).
Pumlen lake is the second largest wetland located in the southern part of Manipur valley. The lake is situated in Thoubal District at an approximate distance of 40 km from Imphal city towards the southern lowlands of the valley, on the left side of the Imphal river at the geographical ordinates between 93o52’30’’ E to 93o55’18’’ E Longitude and 24o24’57’’ N to 24o28’30’’ N Latitude and at elevation of 767 metres above mean sea level (a.s.l). Pumlen is closely associated with Khoidum pat, Lamjao pat, Kakyai pat since they become a single water body during the rainy season. It is also indirectly connected with Kharung pat on the north. Loktak lake lies on the west of this lake. This lake is separated from Khoidum pat by a foot-path (about 6 ft.wide)joining south of Hiyanglam in the east and north of Arong in the west. Pumlen lake itself is having numerous sub-basins which are separated from each other during the dry season, when the water level is about 765 metres a.s.l. and most of these areas are used as low lying paddy field used for cultivation during the dry season (Devi, 1990). The lake receives water from precipitation, surface run off from its south-eastern denuded hills, and from the northern agricultural fields; and indirectly from the Sekmai river through Khoidum pat on northern side and from the impounded Manipur river which run along the western shore-line.
With use of remote sensing and GIS technology, the lake has been studied extensively and land use /land cover of this lake and its catchment area is generated. The wetland has an area of 7320 Ha, with 353 Ha of open water, 1550 Ha of aquaponds and 5417 Ha of phumdis (R.K.Sunita, 2008). The data reveals that phumdis is significantly high occupying more than half of the total wetland area. This is also an alarming figure when related to climate change and global warming.
According to reports from IPCC (Internation Panel on Climate Change), wetlands are the single largest source of methane globally. In addition to methane, N2O, CO2, H2S are also released from wetlands in small varying amounts. Sources of methane emission can be both anthropogenic (human related) and natural source. Human-related activities include fossil fuel production, animal husbandry (enteric fermentation in livestock and manure management), rice cultivation, biomass burning, and waste management (EPA, 2006). These activities release significant quantities of methane to the atmosphere. It is estimated that 60% of global methane emissions are related to human-related activities (IPCC, 2001). Natural sources of methane include wetlands, gas hydrates, permafrost, termites, oceans, freshwater bodies, non-wetland soils, and other sources such as wildfires.
With Manipur occupying 2nd position in wetland density in landlocked states, Thoubal district stands highest in the country in methane emission from wetlands releasing 16689 Kg/SqKm annually (J.K. Garg, 2005). During a study in Cornell University by the author, Manipur, ranked 6th in India in Wetland density emits 37641 Kg/sq km of methane from these wetlands. Therefore wetlands of Manipur plays a very vital role in global warming and it is pivotal to give more emphasis on Pumlen Lake as this lake is going to play a greater part in fighting against global warming and for habitat restoration and rehabilitation.
In every scientific finding, it is very hard to change reports or data into policies. Here, the political parties play the biggest role inorder to amend any act or law. Though Manipur is relatively a small and remote state of India, it is going to have a very important part in fight against global warming. People of this state needs to realized the threats of climate change. Political parties need to rejoin, if not in other issues, but to fight against climate change and global warming. The recent meet in Copenhangen has proved to be a gag where bigger countries tried to crush smaller ones and vetoed their rights, it should be a lesson learned for everyone of us that the threats are real and nature can’t be fought with one parties or two. Kudos to the local MLA of Hiyanglam Constituency, which Pumlen is a part of, he is leaving no stone unturn for best management and conservation of this wetland.
Manipur should unite together to care for wetlands, we should unite to fight threats of climate change. We should unite that the water fowls in our lakes are conserve, that the catchment area are treated, that every ounce of water in these wetlands are use wisely and sustainably. We should unite that wetlands are not fully exploited, that we should not always blame the government but do anything in our capacity to conserve the wetlands.
Pumlen, as such, is going to play a bigger role to fight global warming, it is going to be one of the biggest water resource for people of Manipur, it can be the second home of Sangai, it can be the economic package for the people residing in and around the lake. With the Ramsar setting a goal that by March 2009, more than 1,830 wetlands, covering more than 170 million hectares, have been included in the Ramsar List, Pumlen, is going to be a lake to reckon for…….
The writer is a Scientist, MARSAC, (Hubert Humphrey Fellow-Cornell, NY)