Imphal: Manipur, situated in the northeastern part of India with an area of 22,327 km, is blessed with rich forest cover. However, in the last few decades, the forest and tree cover are slowly depleting and deforestation has aggravated climate issues, including persisting inclement weather, heat waves, and altered ecosystems.
As per the Global Forest Watch data, an online platform providing data and tools for monitoring forests, the northeast state of Manipur had 1.68 Mha of natural forest, extending over 77% of its land area in 2010. However, in 2023, it lost 13.9 ha of natural forest, equivalent to 7.97 Mt of carbon dioxide emissions.
According to Chief Minister of Manipur, N Biren Singh, the state lost 877 square kilometres of forest cover between 1987 to 2021. He asserted that large tracts of forest cover were destroyed due to rampant poppy cultivation, illegal encroachment and deforestation.
“We rely on Mother Nature for our survival. Mother nature will continue to thrive without us,” N Biren Singh posted on X, a microblogging site on May 4, 2024.
Stating that “mind-boggling” the loss of forest cover, the chief minister also elaborated that forest cover in Manipur decreased from 17,475 sq km in 1987 to 16,598 sq km in 2021.
He also informed that eviction drives from the Reserve Forest & Protected Forest were carried out throughout the State. He found 291 encroachers and stated, “It was never targeted towards any particular community.”
The depleted forest areas in Manipur have not only changed the physical landscapes of the state, especially in hilly areas but endangered the sustenance of the people with the frequency of disasters like floods and landslides which occurred in recent times.
Naturally, dense forests not only combat climate change but also shield their surroundings from destruction caused by floods or landslides. However, unfortunately, such a mechanism that controls the potential damages caused by nature is no longer there due to excessive human activities on the ecological surface.
An attack from all sides
Traditionally and culturally, the tribals living in the hills of Manipur are primarily dependent on agricultural activities for their livelihoods. For ages, the tribal communities have lived in close harmony with nature and have developed important agroecosystems.
However, the virgin forests which have fed generations as their vital source of livelihood have slowly depleted and degraded due to the rampant cutting of trees for traditional jhum cultivation, logging and other human activities. The environmental degradation and human-induced disasters in hill districts of Manipur have become an increasingly pressing issue and have raised concerns among the local populace.
Somi, a septuagenarian farmer from Kamjong district, observed that there has been a significant change in various aspects of the environment, like a shift of agricultural cycles due to changes in rainfall patterns, and frequent invasion of pests and insects on crops.
“Ten to twenty years ago, we usually began the paddy planting season in May and completed the planting work by the second week of June, However, in the last few years, it has been observed that the rainfall patterns have become erratic and persistent, disrupting the overall agricultural activities,” Somi lamented.
Unpredictable weather anomaly has contributed in many ways like unexpected drought, incessant rainfall, sudden hailstorms and snowfall in some parts of hill areas, which is a growing concern among the locals for their sustenance, he added.
Somi also lamented that many terrace paddy fields in the hills that used to retain water throughout the year now remain dry and unused due to rivers and rivulets having dried up. Those snow and frost that were there ten to fifteen years ago are no longer seen in the winter season now, he added.
The other factors which are directly or indirectly contributing to environmental issues are unregulated sand mining activities in both hills and river banks of the valley, rampant stone quarries across the state and the use of chemicals and fertilisers on virgin land leading to soil erosion.
Factoring all these above cited few activities are the causes which result in frequent landslides, mudslides and uncontrollable floods in the region.
No end to landslides
This year, the Ukhrul district has witnessed a series of landslides and mudslides due to incessant rainfall, leaving one toddler dead from the disaster.
One of the major landslide sites triggered by heavy downpours occurred at Hungpung Kazipphung along the Imphal-Ukhrul, blocking a huge portion of the National Highway 202A.
Despite road clearance by the concerned department, a series of landslides took place at the same location in two months, which has not only caused inconvenience to vehicular movement along the highway but also raised concerns over the human impact on ecological degradation.
The landslides occurred along a stretch where locals are engaged in sandstone quarrying activities. However, during the visit, we observed that many families in the area have depended on sand quarrying activities for their livelihood for decades. The series of landslides and mudslides along the stretch is likely the consequence of the unregulated sand quarrying activities that have destabilized the compact sandstone terrain.
Moreover, over 50 families residing on top of the landslide site along NH 202A are at great risk, as huge cracks on the surface are visible in the area. Two of the houses are left with just a few inches before they come down to the highway.
Expressing concern over the frequent landslides and sinking areas in the district, damaging roads, homes, and even paddy fields, the Deputy Commissioner of Ukhrul, Kengoo Zuringla, said that sand quarrying along the National Highway has been a significant concern since several houses have been constructed on top of the mountain, which can lead to a major disaster attributed to human activities.
“I desire that the people in Ukhrul will also understand the environmental impacts that human activities bring about. Of course, we understand that these activities are required to earn a livelihood. But we must also ensure that our environment is protected—not so much for ourselves, but for future generations,” said DC Zuringla.
While appealing to the public to turn their collective complacency into action, DC Zuringla also shared that the district administration is planning to conduct an awareness program on sand mining, aiming to bring about long-term positive results so that the locals can manage the natural resources that are richly endowed to the community.
Following massive landslides, the Lower Hungpung People’s Organisation, (LHYO), a local organisation, banned all kinds of sand quarrying activities carried out along the National Highway as a precautionary measure to prevent unwanted incidents.
“Keeping in mind the welfare of the people in the district, we have resolved to ban the sand quarrying work along the NH-202A. This decision was taken after consultation with the affected landowners to protect the environment and the spring waters in the area,” said Yurthan, General Secretary of LHPO.
On the other hand, local sand miners have expressed dismay and concern over the development as they depend on sand quarrying activities for their livelihoods.
A 65-year-old Mary, one of the affected landowners from the landslide at Kaziphung, said that before the banning of sand quarrying, her family could extract sand for at least one truck trip a week, which they sold for Rs 13,000 to Rs 14,000. However, her family are now left with no other means of income, she lamented.
“It has been 20 years that we have been engaged in sand quarrying work, and this place has been one of the initial areas where the sand quarrying business started,” she said.
For Ninghor, 47, it has been at least ten years since he and his wife entered the sand quarrying business. They have managed not only the needs of their family of six members but also supported their children’s education and contributed to the Church, village, and organizations.
He also expressed that, unlike in the olden days when ancestors used cattle to work in paddy fields, the present-day scenario has changed, with people now purely dependent on machinery, which requires money.
“Due to environmental impact, most streams and rivers have dried up, leading to severe difficulties for paddy work. And even if we focus on our traditional farming, the yields we harvest couldn’t sustain us for the whole year,” he said.
The unusual weather patterns have brought a challenging task for the indigenous farmers who lived in the hills to sustain their livelihoods, further highlighting the urgent need for adaptive strategies in agriculture and horticulture in the region.
According to Dr Weyepe N. Mekrisuh, a geologist, his preliminary observation from a geotechnical point of view suggests that the rock mass at the landslide site falls within the category of fair to good rock quality.
“So if anthropogenic activities in the form of sand quarrying hadn’t taken place here, I certainly believe that this landslide would never have occurred,” said Dr Mekrisuh, urging locals to refrain from further rampant anthropogenic activities, especially in the rock section, in the future.
He further cautioned that from an environmental perspective, if this sand quarrying continues rampantly, it will have huge ecological implications and impact the livelihood of the local people engaged in agriculture and horticulture in the downslope.
He also suggested that the tribal communities must recognise the concept of springsheds to sustain water for the future.
Meanwhile, T Brajakumar, Director of Environment and Climate Change, informed that the state government has started to map springs at more than 500 sites to rejuvenate the springs in collaboration with ACWADAM (Advanced Centre for Water Resources Development and Management), a Pune-based not-for-profit knowledge institution and think-tank working on groundwater.
The impact of climate change and other factors have led to the drying up of around 52 per cent of the springs in the Manipur, said Brajakumar, adding, that efforts are on to rejuvenate springs at 10 more sites in five hill districts – Chandel, Kamjong, Noney, Senapati and Tamenglong.
The step has been taken after the success of a spring rejuvenation project at Lunghar village in Ukhrul district.
According to Sowung, who runs a drinking water supply business at Hungpung village, there are a couple of active spring water sources in the stretch where the sandstone quarrying activities are taking place. These water springs also serve as the main water source for paddy fields downstream.
“Those local water carriers come and take the water to supply not only to the locals but also to the Ukhrul town populace since the Shirui water pipeline is insufficient,” said Sowung.
Sowung, who has been supplying water from his Mayora water spring along the National Highway since 2020, also informed that during the lean season from October to March, he could easily sell 60,000 to 70,000 litres of water in a single day, while 10,000 litres are sold during the rainy season.
The worst landslide in recent memory
The recent devastating landslide in Noney district in 2022 which claimed 60 lives, including locals and security personnel, and left many others injured had raised several questions about whether the disaster that pulled down an under-construction Tupulpulled railway station to the nearby flowing Ijei River was a direct result of human activity or caused by nature.
The railway construction in Noney is part of the 111 km railway line from border district Jiribam to Imphal, the state capital. The incident that took place at the campsite at Marangching, located at Makhuam village under Noney district has been regarded as one of the harshest disasters in Manipur.
According to a preliminary report of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), Imphal office, the landslide was caused by an “extensive slope cut for the construction of the railway station, presence of a break in slope in the upslope area, affluence convergence of water and unprotected slope cut for long duration (from 2014 onwards),”
A preliminary assessment report of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) pointed out that the recent landslide at the Tupul Railway Station in Noney district of Manipur that claimed several lives was caused by an extensive and unprotected slope cut for the construction of the 110-km Imphal-Jiribam railway project.
The area where the landslide occurred is a ‘highly susceptible zone’ as per the National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (NLSM) of 2019, said the report.
Naga Villages Taking Climate Action in Manipur
Amid the alarming rise of climatic-related issues globally, the Naga villages in Manipur, predominantly settled in the hills, have adopted several measures to address the environmental problems.
According to Ngahanpam Vashum, headman of Tingsong village under Senapati district, the village council has decided to halt a large scale of farming, especially the Naga rice beans, locally known as Theirathei or Chakhawai, farming since the last two years.
Tingsong is pre-dominantly occupied by the Tangkhul and Poumai Naga communities having overall households of around 300 with a population of 1,377, as per the 2011 census.
Before banning, this remote village, primarily engaged in agricultural activities, could produce 2,000 tins of rice beans grown on a high range of hills annually and largely distributed across the state.
“Each household could normally harvest at least 200 tins of rice beans annually and sell by Rs 700 to Rs 800 per tin which is a main source of income. However, since it required a huge plot to take up the farming for rice beans, we decided to halt the activity temporarily to avoid further deforestation in the village,” said Vashum.
Also, the use of weedicides and pesticides from markets to prevent the growth of weeds to a large extent during farming hugely hampers the tree saplings from growing, he added.
“If we only think about our means of livelihood, there will be no resources left for our younger generations. That is why we have decided to do away with this farming (rice beans) for commercial purposes and look for an alternative source of income,” added Vashum.
Likewise, the Purul village, a Poumai Naga tribe in the Senapati district has taken significant measures towards wildlife conservation by banning hunting, trapping and killing of wild animals birds, and explosives within their territory.
According to M Hiinii, President of Purul Union, the decision was taken during a general body meeting held at Purul village by the Purul (Hiimai) Union on September 18, 2024,
“The Poumai Naga tribe, numbering around 7000, has adopted these measures by the Manipur Wild Life Protection Act, 1972. And to enforce these rules, the Purul Union has announced fines for violators,” he said.
The Purul Union has also enforced a ban on forest fires and other harmful activities in and around the village to preserve the forests.
This story has been published as part of the AIPP-EastMojo Fellowship 2024
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