As the world marked World Environment Day 2025 under the theme “Ending Global Plastic Pollution,” the people of Manipur and other parts of Northeast India were battling yet another devastating natural calamity — widespread floods triggered by relentless rain, overflowing rivers, and blocked drainage systems. The timing of these twin events—one celebratory, the other calamitous—could not have been more telling. Nature is not merely reminding us to care; it is warning us of the consequences of neglect.
Environmentalists across the region have long sounded alarms over the degradation of ecosystems, rampant deforestation, and haphazard urbanisation, all of which have contributed to the rising frequency and intensity of floods. Loktak Lake, once the pride of Manipur’s ecological heritage, now faces immense pressure from encroachments, plastic waste, and siltation. The present floods are not just the result of extreme weather patterns but a consequence of human-made vulnerabilities—blocked rivers, unfinished drainage projects, encroached wetlands, and an over-reliance on concrete solutions rather than ecological restoration.
The irony of celebrating Environment Day while many in the state are marooned, displaced, or grieving the loss of homes and livelihoods is not lost on us. Symbolic plantation drives and awareness campaigns, while important, cannot substitute for the hard, policy-driven, and systemic change needed to prepare our communities for the future. Environmentalists rightly question: Why are urban planning bodies ignoring watershed-based development models? Why are natural streams and rivers being buried under roads and concrete structures? Why are floodplains being converted into housing colonies without adequate drainage provisions?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has already warned that regions like Northeast India will see increased rainfall variability and extreme weather. Yet, the response from state mechanisms often remains reactive rather than preventive. In the case of Manipur, even basic flood control infrastructure—such as retaining walls and culverts—is either incomplete or poorly designed. The Khuyathong culvert, a known bottleneck, remains unfinished even after causing major blockages in past years.
Environmental experts like Dr. Rajen Thokchom, a wetlands ecologist, argue that disaster management must be integrated with environmental conservation. “We are not just witnessing a flood; we are witnessing ecosystem collapse. Wetlands, forests, and hill slopes are nature’s buffers. We’ve destroyed them,” he notes.
World Environment Day must no longer be reduced to an annual ritual. It must serve as an accountability checkpoint. Government bodies, local clubs, educational institutions, and even media outlets must ask: What has changed since the last Environment Day? How much plastic have we reduced? How many wetlands have we saved? How many urban projects were redesigned to respect ecological flow?
This year’s floods must serve as a turning point. If the loss and suffering of the people are to have any meaning, then let it be in a renewed, serious commitment to climate resilience, ecological justice, and sustainable development. Anything less would be a betrayal of both nature and our future.