Loktak Lake is the largest fresh water lake in
Northeast India. It is located in the state of Manipur. Loktak Lake is known as
the only floating lake in the world due to the floating phoomdis on it. It has
an area of 300sq km and has been recognised as Ramsar site in 1990. The lake is
referred to as the “lifeline of Manipur” because the lake is highly productive
and many lives depend on the lake for endurance. The lake is also an Important
Bird Area as it’s a potential breeding site for waterfowl and is a staging site
for migratory birds. There are varied types of habitat supported by lake due to
which the lake is blessed with rich diversity flora and fauna.
Etymology of Loktak: Lok = "stream"
and tak = "the end". The place
where streams end.
The thick band of phoomdis towards
north of Loktak Lake maintains the water quality and also acts as sink for
important nutrients like N, P, K and for carbon sequestration. The floating
wetland is the most productive ecosystems as it provides source of living to
people. The lake is also potential breeding site of many birds, fishes,
amphibians and Sangai. The phoomdis are vital habitats for
Sangai whose hooves are adapted to move over phoomdis. The lake
also regulates the local climate of the state, apart from this it recharges
ground water, retains storm water, dilutes the pollutants for maintaining the
water quality.
The Loktak Lake is highly productive aquatic ecosystem known for its
biodiversity and habitat diversity. There are varied types of habitat supported
by lake as phoomdis which is heterogeneous mass of soil,
vegetation and organic matter, rooted floating plants which is today threatened
by proliferation ofphoomdis, open water habitat which is also threatened
by phoomdis, shallow water areas, peripheral dyke fish-farming
areas and these varied habitats provide services to local people.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC
SIGNIFICANCE
The lake is economically important for being the largest source of many
commercially important species of fishes and edible aquatic plants which
include Trapa natans bispinosa, Euryale ferox, Zizania
latifolia,Alpinia allughas, Nymphea alba, N.stellata while
the plants like Phragmites karka, Erianthus are used for roofing and Leersia
hexandra, Sacciolepis myosuroides are used as fodder. The
plants species constituting phoomdis are used as fodder, food,
and fuel, hut construction, fencing and medicinal purpose especially the
veterinary medicines, handicrafts. The lake is an important economic resource
through the provision of irrigation for 24,000ha farming fields, hydropower,
drinking water to city dwellers and fisheries. The fishing in lake is
accomplished through the age-old method of aggregation and capture by man-made
floating islands called Phoom or Phoomdis. The
fishermen community is called Ngameese who live in floating huts called phumsang constructed
on phoomdis. The phoomdis support large
congregation of migratory, pelagic and resident fishes which use these floating
islands as potential breeding grounds. The lake has recreational significance
as it is a famous tourist spot due to its serene beauty.
The lake is now endangered with a
number of threats:
1. Siltation: due to excessive deforestation in adjoining hills and
shifting cultivation (jhum) along the catchment area
2. Eutrophication: the lake is eutrophic due to increased loading of P,N into
lake caused due to dumping of domestic waste, inflow of organochlorine
pesticide from paddy fields
3. Pollution: untreated industrial waste which has resulted into
increased growth of macrophytes, phytoplanktons and thereby escalating water
pollution.
4. Loktak Hydroelectric Power Plant: The
impacts of Loktak Hydel Project includes inundation of agricultural fields of
catchment area, decline in diversity of avifauna and pisces, thinning
of phoomdiswhich threatens the potential habitat of Sangai deer,
and siltation due to outflow of silt- laden water.
5. Encroachment for agricultural activities and fish farms.
*Phoomdis: Heterogeneous mass of vegetation, soil, and
organic matters at various stages of decomposition.
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