Imphal. April 5 NNN : Three rivers flowing through the hill districts of Manipur, Barak, Irang and Iril, are reportedly flowing at very low levels now. Though the levels of water in rivers are naturally low during the dry season before the arrival of the monsoon, this season it has been reported to be unusually lower than previous dry seasons.
This came at the backdrop of the scarcity of potable water in the valley areas of Manipur which is becoming more problematic due to the low level of water in the rivers and ponds.
The condition in the hill districts can only be worse as the rivers and streams flowing through the hills are the main source of water there, and with the non-arrival of the rains till now the rivers and streams are just trickling through or already dried up.
Villages situated along the Barak river situated along this river in Senapati and Tamenglong districts have reportedly observed the drastic fall in the water level of the Barak river, which is said to be much lower than in previous dry seasons.
Similarly villages which are situated along the Irang river have also reportedly observed that the water level along these rivers are also comparatively low as compared to the water level during the previous dry seasons.
Based on the above observations reported by villagers living near the Barak, Irang and Iril rivers, it is clear that the cause of the unusual and extraordinary fall in the water level of these rivers can be attributed to the failure of the rain and the large scale deforestation of the hill areas of the state.
While the arrival or non-arrival of the monsoon is out of our hands and we can only pray to the rain gods for the early arrival of the rains to replenish the rivers and ponds of the state with life-sustaining water, the people of the state can do themselves much good by preventing large scale deforestation which has led to the present problem of scarcity of water in the state.
Deforestation can have catastrophic consequences in the next couple of decades if it is allowed to continue at the present rate.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/state-faces-acute-shortage-of-water/
