Manipur: Water sources dry up amidst ongoing crisis  

Imphal: The Manipur government has submitted a Rs 118 crore project report to the Central government to find a solution to the loss of water sources due to the ongoing communal violence in the state.

This was stated by the Manipur Public Health Engineering Department Minister Leishangthem Susindro Meitei (Yaima) in a press meeting at his office in Imphal on Saturday.

Surface water sources from the hills and rivers have been in an alarming position as they are not able to fulfill the requirement to the state and some villages in the valley are in deep crisis, the minister said.

In Manipur, 90 per cent of the total population uses surface water, whereas the remaining 10 per cent uses underground water from hand pumps, tube wells, etc. for domestic purposes.

The most affected villages owing to the loss of water sources in the present crisis are Kangchup, Leimakhong, and Bishnpur.

The villagers residing in these locations are facing a lot of hardships.

In reply to a question posed by a newsman, the minister said that the state government is of optimistic that the Centre will give a green signal for the new project for the welfare of these villagers.

When the project is implemented, the state government will take various measures including digging ponds at the foothills.

The valley of Manipur is mostly inhabited by the Meiteis and the hills by the tribals.

The communal violence that broke out on May 3, 2023, occurred between the tribal and non-tribal.

In Manipur, water requirements vary depending on climatic conditions, human activities, developed or urban areas, developing or least developed and rural areas.

However, the present water source loss is primarily dependent on human activities as many miscreants have destroyed and stolen the drinking water pipes in different locations in the name of the communal outbreaks of violence, the minister said.

The total water demand for domestic consumption in Manipur is estimated at 202.81 million liters per day (MLD). The aggregate water demand of the town, including Imphal, is approximately 130.09 MLD. The rural daily domestic water requirement is estimated at 72.72 MLD.