Langol Hill range, the
carbon sink of Imphal City
By
Khuraijam Jibankumar Singh, FLS
Langol
is an isolated Hill Range in the northern part of the Imphal Valley . It is the only reserve forest
nearest to the Imphal City and serving as carbon sink of the
city. Imphal City is now facing ever increasing air
pollution due to the increase in large number of vehicles in the last few
years. Except for few sacred groves, locally known as Umang
Lais located
at the periphery of the city, the green forests in the valley had disappeared
and converted to agricultural lands. In recent past till 1940s, tigers,
leopards and jackals used to roam in the hill range. There are many stories of
encounter of tiger, pythons, leopards and jackals however after 1940s all these
rare animals were not again to be seen. As the city expands, Langol Hill Range now sees the burden of increasing
pressure of urbanisation on the natural resources and landscape. Many villages,
institutions and hospitals came up in around the hill range.
A full view of Langol Hill Range tugged in the northern part of the Imphal Valley (as seen from Nongmaiching Hill Range). Photo: Khuraijam Jibankumar Singh |
Breeding centre of critically
endangered Manipur brow antlered deer, Sangai - the state animal of Manipur; Manipur Zoological Garden and Khonghampat Orchidarium were
established at the hill range to conserve bioresources of the state. Except for
this few acres of land reserved for conservation, entire reserve forests is now
exposed to land transformation and are in critical stage. With the
construction of Game Village at the foot hills of the hill range, entire
landscape of the south eastern part of the hill range had changed in just one
decade and endangering its forest cover due to illegal felling of trees. Lack
of environmental concern and love for nature among the people of the
inhabitants led to the disappearance of the rich biodiversity of the forests.
Game Village, Langol |
The people living in and around the hill range are living in
a very unhygienic lifestyle endangering their health and environment of the
hill range. Even after having government designated dumping site in
Lamphelpat (a wetland), waste materials including hazardous chemicals are
dumped on the road sides which are carried away by rainwater from the hills to
the wetland. This deliberate dumping of waste materials into the wetland has
let to disappearance of many flora and fauna.
The entire ecosystem of the hill range and the wetland has
changed and are in very critical phase. Restoring to previous clean environment
will be very difficult and before the things go worst, the people of the city
and around the hill range need to rethink and conserve this beautiful forest.
Voluntary conservation activities are required with assistance from State
Forest Department. State Forest Department need to adopt stringent rules to
check the encroachment of the reserve forest. The people of the city and the
government authorities had to take responsibility and work together to conserve
the hill range and the wetland as the health of the city lies on the clean
environment. Conserving Langol Hill Range and Lamphelpat will let to clean and
healthy Imphal.
Dumping of plastic waste on the periphery of the wetland. |