Deputy Chief Minister of Manipur, Losii Dikho today chaired the 6th Meeting of the Manipur State Wetlands Authority (MSWA) at the Deputy Chief Minister’s Conference Hall, Minister’s Block, Civil Secretariat, Mantripukhri.
Losii Dikho, who also holds the portfolio of Minister for Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Manipur, presided over the meeting, which discussed key matters relating to the conservation, management and protection of wetlands in the State. Speaking at the meeting, the DeputyChief Minister stressed the significance of the meeting in strengthening efforts towards the preservation and conservation of wetlands in the state.
The meeting brought together concerned officials and members of the Authority to deliberate on various issues concerning the effective implementation of wetland conservation measures and the sustainable management of wetland ecosystems in Manipur.
During the meeting, Dr. T. Brajakumar Singh, Director, Environment & Climate Change Department and Member Secretary, MSWA presented 5 Agenda items for consideration. These included Agenda 1- Confirmation of the Proceedings of the 5th Meeting and Reconstitution of MSWA Committees; Agenda 2- Review of the Status of Notification of the 7 (Seven) Wetlands recommended as State Priority Wetlands and Recommendation for Physical Demarcation and Notification of the Remaining Wetlands; Agenda 3- Status for Preparation of Brief Documents and Health Cards for Ground-Truthed 71 Wetlands; Agenda 4- Status of the Integrated Management Plan (IMP) for Wetlands and Ramsar Site Proposal and Agenda 5- W.P. (Civil) No. 304 of 2018 on Wetlands before the Supreme Court of India.The agenda items were discussed and approved by the Authority.
He also highlighted the background of MSWA, its roles and responsibilities as well as the achievements and activities under the Authority. Dr. T. Brajakumar Singh apprised the meeting of the status of wetlands for which Brief Documents, Health Cards and IMPs have been prepared; notification status of the 7 Wetlands across various districts of the State and the wetlands identified for preparation of IMPs under the guidelines of the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA).
Outlining the progress made in wetland conservation, he stated that 132 wetlands have been ground-truthed,71 wetlands digitally demarcated/delineated and 7 wetlands demarcated on the ground. He further informed that 3 wetlands have been notified, while Loktak Lake has been recognised as a Ramsar Site (Site No. 463, designated in 1990).Dr. T. Brajakumar Singh stated that two publications, Wetlands of Manipur Version 1.0 & 1.1 were published in 2025. He also mentioned that the construction of the Cultural and Wetland Museum has commenced. He added that detailed reports are available on the official website of MSWA: mswa.app
In his concluding remarks, Deputy Chief Minister, Losii Dikho welcomed the agendas discussed andcalled for collective efforts to promote, protect and preserve the State’s vital wetland ecosystems.
The meeting was attended by Arun Kumar Sinha, Principal Secretary, Forest, Environment and Climate Change; Joykumar Singh, Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife)& CCF(A&P); R.K. Amarjit Singh, Special Secretary, Forest, Environment and Climate Change; Robert Singh Kshetrimayum, Commissioner (Fisheries); W. Malemnganba Chenglei, Secretary (Water Resources); Dr. Rangitabali Waikhom, Secretary (Tourism); Regina Hongray, Additional Secretary (MAHUD); H. Balkrishna Singh, Project Director, Loktak Development Authority (LDA); O. Nodiachand Singh, Director, Manipur Remote Sensing Application Centre (MARSAC); Ch. Sadananda Meitei, EE (RD&PR); Dr. Ng. Romeji, Hydrology Expert, NIT Manipur; Dr. K. Khelchandra Singh, Wetland Ecology Expert, Manipur University; Dr. M. Lilee Devi, Socio-Economics Expert, MU; Dr. Y. Rameshori, Fishery Expert, MU; Dr. Ritesh Kumar, Director, Wetlands International South Asia and Dr. Kh. Pradipkumar Singh, Professor, MU.
