1591 water bodies identified for conservation – Th Biswajit

Last Updated on March 3, 2023 by SPN Editor

Manipur Environment and Forest Minister Th Biswajit said that 1591 water bodies have been identified for conservation. Proper notice has been given to run a tender for the rejuvenation of seven wetlands, of which Lamphelpat is one.

In Manipur, 708 wetlands were recognized in 2009’s National Wetland Atlas, and 23 of them are currently the subject of studies.

Th Biswajit added Nambul River is one of the nine rivers that the Central Pollution Control Board has chosen for rejuvenation in response to an observation made by MLA Surjakumar Okram.

The Minister said that the Manipur Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has installed ambient air quality monitoring stations at Manipur University (MU) campus and Dhanamanjuri University (DMU) campus in response to policy cut motions and general observations made by some Members of the House while discussing a demand for grant pertaining to Environment and Forest (Rs 710,72,85,000).

Biswajit further stated that initiatives are being made to set up such stations at other places as well.

The Environment Department has been researching the level of pollution generated by brick fields even though licenses and permits for opening brick fields are provided by a different department, he said.

According to Biswajit, a thorough investigation would be conducted to determine the extent of brick fields’ pollution.

Biswajit added Manipur’s entire forest area is 17,418 square kilometers, and it is divided into Reserved Forest, Protected Forest, and Unclassified Forest.

One of the tasks of the government is to conserve and promote these forests, but Biswajit argued that the entire burden of protecting the forests shouldn’t fall only on the shoulders of the government and instead should be shared by all members of the House and the general people.

The reduction of forestland is caused by several different factors, including poppy crops and lumbering. But, he added, not all timber transportation is prohibited as long as the appropriate permissions are obtained.

He claimed that during the past few years, about 135 homes that had encroached on reserved forests had been evicted.

While six people were detained in connection with causing forest fires, the Environment and Forest Minister reported that 3 crore tree saplings were planted in recent years.

Th Biswajit responded to the observations made by K Leishiyo and M Rameshwar by stating that carbon emission trading is a very cumbersome procedure that needs certification.