By Sh Ajit
Imphal, Mar 23:
At a time when the world celebrate the World Water Day, and at a time when the government of Manipur joined the world in celebrating the day with promises to preserve and protect water resources of the state a team of journalist found a natural lake completely dried due to deforestation and burning of forest in the catchment area.
When the state was delivering speeches and promises about the need for protection of the water body, the journalist team who went to Kamjong district to get a glimpse Kochoupung lake under the Aegis of the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) were shocked and disheartened to see the lake completely dried and its surroundings hillock tonsured leaving the space a desert like situation.
The Kochoupung lake was once not only the source of water for household and agricultural uses but was also a home of many habitats. Nearby is a village called Kochoupung village with around 150 house where both Kuki and Nagas live together peacefully.
Experts opines the reasons for dying of the lake due to excessive cutting down of trees along the hillock and sometimes burning it. The catchment area is completely dried and there is no way that the water are stroed to stream down to the lake.
