WATER RESOURCES 

  Spring Water

Manipur, located in northeastern part of India, is naturally gifted with abundant water resources in the form of several rivers, streams, springs, wetlands, groundwater and lakes flowing across its landscape. The state is famous for the largest natural freshwater lake, Loktak Lake in northeast India. The state has a humid subtropical climate and falls under a high intensity rainfall area. Though the state receives appreciable amount of rainfall throughout the year, the precipitation is unevenly distributed with peak rainfall during monsoon period. The riverine system of the state originates from the hills and their rate of flow depends on the annual monsoon. Due to the hilly topography of the state, rain water does not get to recharge over a long period of time. However, the valley areas suffer from frequent floods in recent times, even after a short spell of rain. Various reasons for the cause of frequent flooding may be due to man-made ecological changes in the catchment areas, high intensity rainfall during the rainy season in the hilly areas, etc. The upper catchments of the rivers along with heavy runoff and low water recharged in degraded watersheds in the upper reaches of the rivers resulting in flash floods. The problem is further aggravated due to the climate variability and the state is also facing unpredictable monsoon rainfall for the past few years resulting in the shortage of water supply in the state.

Talking about the wetland, it plays a crucial role in preserving the ecological balance, providing habitat for various species and regulating the water cycle. Based on the report of National Wetland Atlas 2010, Manipur has 708 wetlands, comprising 100 natural inland wetlands, 56 man-made inland wetlands,11 man-made aquaculture wetlands and other wetlands (<2.25 ha). These wetlands are important ecosystems that enhance water quality, maintain stream flows, control erosion, water purification, carbon sequestration, etc. The Loktak Lake, being the largest inland wetland, is one of the most important wetlands in Manipur. The lake and its surrounding wetlands provide various ecological and socio-economic benefits to all inhabited flora and fauna, including several threatened and endangered species. In the state, water regulation in the various streams and rivers occurs in two main ways. The Loktak Lake serves as an inland basin/reservoir for many streams and rivers along with the Manipur River, where some basins of Manipur River are not a part of the Loktak basin. The Loktak Lake and the Manipur River are in turn connected by the Khordak stream. In the earlier days, the various southern lakes located in the valley of Manipur served as effective reservoirs of excess runoff. However, at present, most of the lakes are highly deteriorated to such an extent that it might completely disappear due to the severe reduction in their water holding capacities. Other notable wetlands in Manipur include the Ikop Pat, Waithou Pat, Phumlen Pat, Khordak Pat, etc. These wetlands provide livelihood and bioresources to the local communities.

According to the report of National Wetland Atlas 2010, developed by Space Application Centre, 2.85% of total geographic area of the state is under different types of wetlands like lakes/ponds (61.5%), river/stream (26.2%), waterlogged (5.5%) and aquaculture ponds (4.15%) covering an area of 63,616 ha. The wetlands of the state are mostly confined to two valley districts, namely Bishnupur and Thoubal with around 30.7% and 30.3% respectively of total district geographic area under wetland. It has also been reported that Manipur has 15 major rivers/streams covering about 166.77 sq. Km. of total area i.e., about 0.75% of the total geographical area of the state.

Table 3.4.1: District-wise wetland highlights in Manipur

However, wetlands in Manipur are facing several threats, including pollution, encroachment, habitat destruction and unsustainable land use practices due to human activities. The Government of Manipur, along with local communities and non-governmental organizations are taking up various measures to conserve and protect these wetlands for their ecological, cultural, and economic value. These efforts are important for the conservation and management of inland wetlands in Manipur for the benefit of the environment and local communities.

Moreover, in keeping and maintaining the water level and flow into rivers, lakes and wetlands, groundwater plays a very important role. In Manipur, groundwater is mostly exploited through open wells along with tube wells which are installed at various places of the valley areas. Considering the clayey nature of formation in the top aquifer, development of this resource is not considered promising on a large scale. Although Manipur receives heavy rainfall, most of the rain water ended up being wasted in the form of surface runoff due to the paucity of rainwater harvesting structures, and more significantly on the tremendous decline in the spring sheds of the surrounding hills and mountainous areas. The water problem in the state is reeling under an alarming scenario such as water scarcity, decreasing groundwater levels, and localized droughts. As a result, during the lean season particularly during the months of February-May, most of the areas in the state are now facing an acute shortage for water availability year after year. In 2022, the annual average rainfall of Manipur is recorded as 1242.32 mm. The distribution of the annual rainfall widely varies among the districts in the state. Thoubal district recorded the lowest rainfall with 832.8 mm while Tamenglong district recorded the highest with 2609.8 mm in the year 2022. District-wise annual rainfall and seasonal rainfall for the year 2022 are represented below:

The Manipur state government has implemented several initiatives to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation. The Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) is responsible for providing safe and adequate water supply to both rural and urban areas of Manipur. The department has been implementing various projects and schemes to improve the water supply system, including the construction of new water treatment plants, installation of hand pumps and tube wells in rural areas, and repair and maintenance of existing water supply infrastructure. The Manipur State Water Supply Project is one such initiative that aims to provide safe drinking water to rural and urban areas of the state. Most of the drinking water supply in urban areas of the state is from the three major rivers namely Imphal River, Nambul River and Iril River.

With the focus on tap water resources, Manipur has been working steadily in implementing the Jal Jeevan Mission - amidst the challenges of rough terrain & climatic conditions. Under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), the aim is to provide a Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to all the rural habitations, which is to be provided by 2024. The state has achieved the highest percentage of households with tap water supply among all the north eastern states of India under the mission.

According to the report of Jal Jeevan Mission: Progress in Manipur dated 23^rd November, 2022 3.36 lakh households have tap water connections i.e., 74.55% households have tap water supply in the state as on November 22, 2022. Since the inception of JJM, the state has been providing tap water connection to over 3.10 lakh households (73%) compared to just 26,000 households (5.7%) earlier. District-wise households’ connection with tap water supply is highlighted below:

Water treatment is essential for ensuring access to safe drinking water and maintaining public health. The government of Manipur is taking steps to improve the water treatment facilities in the state, and it is up to each individual to play their part in conserving water and preventing water pollution.

Impact of Climate change on Water resources:

Water resources are important to both society and ecosystems, and inextricably linked with Climate Change. As the temperature rises, most impacts of climate change come down to water related issues. The main effect of the change on water resources is increasing evapotranspiration as well as intensification of the water cycle which results in unpredictable precipitation patterns. It exacerbates both water scarcity and water-related hazards such as droughts and floods. The climate change effect on water resources is a serious concern in the northeastern part of India especially in the lesser Himalayan Region. Manipur State has also witnessed floods of different intensities in the recent years. Frequent flash floods as well as the highest severity of floods in the state are commonly experienced mostly in the Imphal valley areas during monsoon season which have brought much harm to the people. This is because of heavy rainfall associated with the monsoon, which can devastate the state's drainage system and lead to widespread flooding. Increasing urbanization, destruction of river basins due to change in land use patterns, high intensity rainfall in the hilly areas i.e., upper catchment areas of rivers, breaching of river banks, blocking of rivers, heavy runoff, low infiltration in degraded watersheds in the upper reaches of the rivers, inadequacies of channel conveyances, etc. are the primary cause of floods in the state.

Manipur State has a long history of flood management strategies through local traditions like widening of river channels and clearing river channels from wastes, however such actions have been ignored in some places due to illegal encroachments of river channels by the local community. Moreover, the flood disaster management policy of Manipur is completely dependent on the Central Government. Many areas along the banks of major rivers of Manipur valley such as Imphal River, Thoubal River and Iril River are vulnerable to flood due to river channel encroachment and rapid increase in the valley’s built-up areas. During high peak flood stages of the rivers, erosion, sliding, depression or slumping of banks and bank cracks are quite common. Furthermore, an increase in precipitation leads to an increase in water yield. The lower reaches of the basin near Loktak Lake are higher in increase in water yield as compared to the upper reaches of the basin which led to inundation of low-lying area near to the lake. This indicates that the area around Loktak Lake is more susceptible to climate change than the other regions in the basin.  In comparison to precipitation and temperature, other parameters like wind speed, solar radiation and relative humidity have less significant effect on water yield.

Nowadays, most of the water resources in Manipur are in a serious situation in fulfilling the water requirement and maintaining the ecological balance in the basin and other adjoining areas. Due to depletion of raw water at sources and drying up of all the water bodies like ponds, lakes, moats, etc., the domestic water supply in urban areas is being supplemented by the private transporting water tankers. Presently, the state faces many challenges in managing water storage & utilizing the resources sustainably in both urban & rural areas which is due to rapid urbanization, deforestation of the catchment areas and lack of water harvesting methods during the rainy season. The availability of water resources varies greatly depending on location and climate. In some areas, water is abundant and easily accessible, while in other areas it is scarce and must be carefully managed. Climate change and anthropogenic activities such as pollution of surface water sources for instance dumping of waste, use of pesticides, discharge of untreated sewage, etc. and degradation of groundwater quality can also have a significant impact on water resources. And as the temperature rises, warmer water can lead to the growth of harmful algal blooms, which can contaminate water supplies and affect aquatic ecosystems. This affects the availability of freshwater for drinking, recreation, fisheries, etc. There is a necessity to develop infrastructure for water supply and sanitation to meet the growing demands of the population.