Manipur 6

Loktak, the Lake of Disappointment

                                                                                         . . . . S. Balakrishnan

            We were duped by the Manipur Tourism Department. With lot of imagination and expectation we drove to Loktak Lake straight from the airport. Induced by the 'false information' of the Tourism Dept., my daughter was nagging to change our accommodation plan and opt for home stay in a traditional floating house on one of the floating islands! A fantastic experience it would be! Our dreams literally soared on seeing a picture of Loktak printed on the back of Air India's flight ticket. From the air, the sight of green patches of vegetation on gleaming water surface added to our excitement; we craned our neck to see this scenery. I could have spawned a poem on that beautiful sight but, unfortunately, I had a feeling of nausea while touching down (You must thank God).  But what a disillusionment! A passing glance of Loktak Lake as we proceeded towards the Sendra Resort was a plain, bleak one. Neither floating islands nor floating houses, not even one, but only a few floating boats. But then boats are supposed to be floating, no? Else they will be known as submarines, I suppose.

            'The Lake was cleaned up a few years ago', our doubt was cleared by Mr. Krishna, our guide. All the floating islands of vegetation along with the houses on them were removed in toto, he went on. The Lake was gasping for breath as it was getting chocked up with the ever-expanding and ever-multiplying vegetative islands; also, it was getting highly polluted by the floating house population and those living all around it, he explained as we were sadly watching the lake from the hanging balcony of Sendra Resort restaurant. Were they not living there traditionally and would not their livelihood get affected? Anyhow, I am sure better brains must have broken their heads together to take this decisive action for saving the Lake. At the most they could have allowed one or two big floating islands with small families living on it - at least during the day time - for the sake of expectant tourists like us who took all the pain & trouble to travel from Chennai to see this unique lifestyle. Even life-size figures could have been put up in those model floating houses.

            It was past noon when we arrived at Sendra Resort and the water sheet of the immense lake was shimmering like thousands of stars. Here and there a few lonely fishing boats with lonely fishers were lazily dancing up and down the surface. A peaceful sight and a perfect place to contemplate; you can either become a Buddha or a don. It all depends on your mindset.

            When we finished our late lunch it was almost evening.  Can we call it luffin (lunch+ tiffin), after 'brunch' which is a combination of late breakfast and early lunch? Our guide Krishna deserted us to fend for ourselves as he had to pick us up early the next morning. We daringly decided to explore the area on our own. First, let us take a boat ride in the Lake, we concluded and so came down from atop the 250 ft. high Sendra hillock Island situated amidst the Loktak Lake.  There were not many tourists at the boating club; so we hired a small outboard motorboat for ourselves. For 30 rupees per head, it was a circular trip of about 20 minutes with close-up view of a few small floating aquatic islands. 'Could we land on them?' our adventurous daughter enquired, probably for a selfie titled 'Lady Columbus discovering an island' to be instantly uploaded on Whatsapp or Fb. 'No', sternly warned the captain of the boat. 'These are just smaller ones in the process of accumulating and developing; you will sink down. Have a closer look and you can see water patches in between', he explained. As we took a u-turn and proceeded back to the shoreline, we had a memorable sunset behind the hills.  The water reflected deep orange as if someone had played Yaoshang (Holi) and sprayed the colour all over the surface.

            Loktak, the largest fresh water lake in the North-East Region, is 48 Kms. from Imphal. It is also the largest lake covering 61% of the identified wetland regime in Manipur. Loktak is spread over an area of 230 sq. km with a maximum length of 32 km and  breadth of 13 km; its average depth is 2.5 m (more than 8 feet; depth is better understood in foot measure than in meter, at least as far as I am concerned). Islands occupy 2 sq. km. of the lake area. It has a direct catchment area of 1,064 sq. km. The livelihood of about 1 lakh people living in and around Loktak depends on the lake. By tradition, the lake's water has been widely used for fisheries and agriculture.

            The characteristic feature of Loktak and associated wetlands in Manipur is the presence of floating islands, locally called phumdi. They are a heterogeneous mass of soil, vegetation and organic matter at various stages of decomposition. They occur in all sizes and thickness, once occupying almost half of the lake area.  Management of phumdi has been one of the focus areas during implementation of schemes for lake restoration. Mechanical removal of phumdi was initiated in January 2010 by Loktak Development Authority (LDA), and 24.93 Lcum of phumdi has been removed by this method untill a few years back.  A cost effective and eco-friendly method of managing phumdi is by manual flushing through Khordak and Ungamel channels down the Manipur River. LDA has successfully flushed 4.04 sq km of phumdi from Loktak. The removed phumdi are transported to disposal sites and composting yards. Desiltation activities in 14 inflowing streams of the Lake have also been undertaken. So far, about 2,500 community toilets have been constructed in identified villages around the Lake, covering 80% of the intended target.

            As one from Tamil Nadu, I was happy to note that Karunya University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, and another organization from New Delhi, were selected for external monitoring of the Lake in 2010.

            A recent headache is the rapid spread of paragrass; it is a matter of concern for lake management primarily due to its proliferation rate. The species, which used to be one of the several constituents of the wetland, has now become dominant. Its spread and rapid growth in the marsh areas is gradually changing the vegetation pattern with impacts on overall biodiversity. Paragrass is a perennial grass species which can grow in terrestrial as well as aquatic environments. It has hairy stem and leaves. The stem is up to 1-1.5 cm in diameter. The leaf can extend up to 75 cm at maturity. Vegetative propagation from the nodes makes its growth profuse which aids in invading new areas. The plant has been seen to grow beyond 2 meter and laterally to more than 5 meter, which is more than 15 ft., just imagine!  In the terrestrial areas, it dominates other grasses and leads to a monotypic stands. Paragrass was introduced in Manipur by the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department (in consultation with National Seed Corporation of India, Guwahati) during 1972-1973 to support dairy development in the state. While paragrass poses a threat to the wetland, the communities have several beneficial uses and do not view it as a nuisance. Paragrass serves as a good feed for milch cattle as well for fish farming in the lakeshore and island villages.

            As we landed from the boat, we saw the youth and not-so-youth having a gala time playing volleyball on the shore.  A few others were seen jogging and walking, in an effort to keep trim & fit. Some had even come from across the Sendra Island, using the bridge as the jogging track. Somehow I could not help envying the pollution-free, joyous atmosphere. I took deep breaths to inhale as much of the fresh air as possible along with the happy ambience and tried to flush out my jealousy. By then it was 5.10 PM and the sun had completely set. A time difference of an hour or even more from Chennai, I noted.

            With such a vast water body, it was natural to expect fish in abundance, more so when Manipuris are so fond of fish. I understand that even Manipuri Brahmins relish fish; it is not a taboo. It is similar in Bengal and Assam also, I found out in Assam. Along the lake edge, Imas (mothers/women) were selling a variety of fish - fresh catch and dried varieties. Impressed by the variety (believe me, we are vegetarians), we took snaps and whatsapped to a friend back in Chennai. She immediately pleaded with us to bring at least 1 kg of a particular variety! We had sent the photo only to tempt her but now we were in a fishy soup. How could we, vegetarians, carry dried fish all along to Chennai? Our whole hotel room would smell, I mean stink, and even the whole plane could stink! No way. Now it was our turn to plead with her to excuse us. Like a fish, we had to wriggle out of the stinky situation created by our own folly.

            Loktak was the first place where we had one-to-one interaction with Manipuris. It was where we learnt, to our surprise, that Manipuris are quite a friendly people even with outsiders /strangers and loved to openly share their thoughts. It was an eye-opener for us, a pleasant experience. We had interesting chit-chat with a lady micro financier, a fruit seller, fish mongers, an elderly gentleman and our guide. It needs to be told separately, so I reserve it for a separate episode. (OMG, another part?!)

            We observed that over-crowded share taxis were the only conveyance even to a place like Loktak which was comparatively closer to Imphal and yet seemed remote and aloof. I do not understand how and why the public put up with lack of public transport.  I was taken aback to see, even in 1986 (40 years back), electric coaches (bus) running from Kathmandu (Nepal) to Pathan, I think. It is time such pollution-free transport service was introduced by Manipur Government from Imphal to other places on need-basis.

            As we alighted from the boat, our hunt for a cup of tea began.  There were a few eateries and paan shops, but tea was not available. This despite the 'false' impression the Manipuri film 'Sanabi' created in me. I had watched this movie in Chennai just a week ahead of our departure to Manipur; in that film everyone was drinking tea and anyone was offering tea! I suggested trying an army canteen nearby, but somehow we could not muster enough courage to get in there. We had read about local antagonism towards the army, and so we decided to sacrifice our evening tea for the sake of respecting local sentiments. I noticed that the petty shops had stacked snacks items from Myanmar. At this point, it was completely dark and so we started climbing back to the resort. It was 6 PM and the full moon was already high up in the sky. Having just watched a wonderful sunset, we were in for a pleasant surprise as the bright full moon rose from behind the dark, slender trees of the Sendra hillock island. We felt blessed!

            The room at Sendra Resort, I must admit, provided an excellent panoramic view of Loktak Lake; it was particularly wonderful in the night. Here I must thank our tour operators, Seven Sisters Holidays. We could watch the scenery through the window, lazily lying on the cot; a still better view was available sitting comfortably in the balcony. This Resort belongs to The Classic Group of Hotels. Probably the Sendra Island is the only solid rock island situated in the Loktak Lake. Hundreds of fishing boats each with a twinkling bulb were bobbing in the water far across, busy fishing in the night. Poor thing, won't they allow the fish to have a peaceful wink of sleep even in the night! As a vegetarian I could not help sympathising with them. These illuminated boats created an image of a floating city. Adding to this was the Loktak Hydro Power Project on the opposite shore that dazzled with lights. 105 MW Hydropower is being generated at this site. 

            For a long time I was gazing at this night view of Loktak Lake as if to drink in all its serene beauty. The fact that the next morning we had to vacate and leave by 7.30 AM to visit the other part of the Loktak, the Keibul Lamjao National Park, forced me to get into the bed.  The earlier we get there, more the chance of catching a glimpse of the mystic Sangai deer, our guide had indirectly warned us.

            Our dream of enjoying sunrise over Loktak - like the sunset and the full moon rise the previous evening - was dampened by the drizzle. I think one should not be so greedy. Whereas Buddha asks us to relinquish our desire, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev of Isha Foundation asks us to desire for everything. I am totally confused.  But even the drizzle presented another dimension of the lake with thousands of rain drops splashing on to the surface to make impressive circles. As our departure was delayed by more than half an hour by the staff members of the resort, our blood pressure shot up. Despite my informing them the previous night that we would like to vacate sharp by 7 AM and again reminding them in the morning, they could not complete the procedure on time. They blamed the computer and network connection. At last, when the bill was printed, there was nothing to be paid by us at all, as per the tie-up our tour operator had with the resort. Yet we were unnecessarily held back for precious 30 minutes.

            The first time we realized how spicy Manipuri cuisine could be was also at Sendra Resort. Due to our early departure, we had requested them to pack our breakfast which was the staple puri and aalu subji. We had had enough of aalu during our week's travel in Assam and were fed up of it. We would have even loved plain bread & jam but their menu was only oily puri & gassy potato!  With no restaurant worth its name on the way to the Park, we were forced to accept the resort's hospitality. We three of us shared the six puris by just seeing the aalu subji. The whole spicy lot was simply dumped in the bin. If the food was so spicy, how do we survive the next five days? This was our major concern.

            As we arrived at the Park by 8 AM, it was still closed and in a sleepy mood, though supposed to be open from 7 AM onwards. But Krishna managed to locate some staff and persuaded him to open the gate, to our great relief.  We realized how handy it was to have a guide with us. Whereas Loktak was a water sheet, the Park was a virtual green sheet of vegetation as far as the eye could reach, the only floating park and the only home for Sangai, the dancing deer.

            Actually, the Southern portion of Loktak Lake forms the Keibul Lamjao National Park, which is the one of the largest floating wildlife protected area in the world.  It is composed of a continuous mass of floating phumdi occupying an area of more than 25 sq km.  The park is the last and only natural habitat of the most endangered ungulate  ('hoofed mammal' would be easier) species, the brow antlered deer (Rucervus eldii eldii). Also fondly called the dancing deer, it is the State Animal of Manipur and is loved by the Manipur society. It is also the logo of Manipur Tourism Department.

            It is feared that the spread of paragrass, a species of grass, in the Keibul Lamjao National Park has the potential to alter the habitat, specially leading to reduction in food and shelter plants of Sangai deer. It grows to a height of even 15 ft., as already seen above.

            The mystic deer was kind enough to give us a darshan. A few Sangai were seen crossing from one patch of tall overgrown brown grass to another through a relatively low green patch which looked as if a green carpet had been laid. It was almost a kilometer afar. Only my daughter and I could notice this when pointed out by Krishna who is accustomed to such search & sight operation; by the time we could pinpoint the location to my wife, they had disappeared into the other side of the tall grass patch. But her eyes are sharper in spotting sparkling ornaments of other women during weddings, though I try to divert her attention! The mystic deer had just vanished! It was so far off that even with a zoom lens it appears hazy. Hence I did not even attempt taking a photo with my handy digital camera. Better have an eye full of the deer than focusing through the viewfinder, I decided.  Krishna had thoughtfully brought a pair of binoculars but though we strained our eyes we could not see any other fauna, only a few staff of the park rowing a narrow canoe and managing the vegetation growth. A narrow 3-foot canal that wound its way zigzag through the park was the only visible silver line, though the whole of the park is a floating one! Hence aptly called the floating park.

            Besides the dancing deer, other wildlife found in the Park are Hog deer, Otter and a host of water fowls; migratory birds can also be sighted during November to March. The forest Department of Manipur maintains watch towers and two rest houses within the park, it is claimed. Later we noticed a few wild boars and had to satisfy with that.

            Once feared extinct, a small herd of 14 Sangai was surviving in the present park area during 1975. With the declaration of the area as National Park on March 28, 1977, and subsequent protection and conservation measures taken up by the Department, the population has increased considerably. After 20 years, in March 1995, 152 Sangai - 58 stags (male), 69 hinds (female) and 25 fawns were surviving along with 118 Hog deer and 100 Wild boars in the Park. The last census carried out on March 13, 2013 put the Sangai population at 204. Of these, 90 were stags, 86 hinds and 28 fawns. In 2003 the deer population was noted as 180. Steadily increasing! A census was currently on in March 2016 and it is hoped the number would have soared to a happy score.  [If you have the latest census figure, you may pl. insert here]

            The Keibul Lamjao National Park is spread across 40 sq. km. and  is at an altitude of  767m - 788m    with the temperature ranging from  4° C (January) to 32° C (June) with a humidity range of  45% (March) to 80% (August). The forest is classified as moist semi-evergreen type. The Park has an eco system which is a combination of wetland, aquatic and terrestrial. It is situated some 50 km. from Imphal, Manipur's capital. Best season is October to April and best time is early sunrise or late afternoon, but before sunset.  

             Had we come as scheduled, we might have sighted more Sangai, Krishna was rubbing salt into our injured sighting and pride. That was the first chance we missed.  We solaced ourselves with the hope of seeing Sangai at the zoo in Imphal, but it was a hope against a hope. Due to continuous Holi holidays, we missed that chance also. Okay, let us at least carry a Sangai (only a model, not a live one), we thought but that also did not fructify.  A delicate piece of Sangai at Classic Grande Hotel, the only handicraft shop open during our stay period, cost more than a thousand rupees.  Ladies would blindly spend a thousand on a sari but not on a handicraft item. So no permission was granted by my Home & Finance Minister.  The consoling part is we could buy two wooden heads of deer in Assam. The pair cost 700 rupees and has lovely eyes; that is why we describe damsels' eyes as 'mrignayanee - deer-eyed', no?  The pair had, however, caused a rupture in our relationship. My wife objected to buying a pair whereas I insisted and babbled that I always loved to have a pair of "anything and everything". Well, that was enough to raise her suspicion and I am still pacifying her!

            With the floating islands (phumdi) and the people living on them removed lock, stock & barrel from Loktak Lake since 2010, this fact ought to be unambiguously stated in all tourism info. Let no further tourist be disappointed as we were. Yet, Loktak was a mixed bag of disappointment and surprises.

-.-

A brief on LDA (Loktak Development Authority) -

The Loktak Development Authority was first constituted by the Government of Manipur in July 1987 under the aegis of the Department of Irrigation and Flood Control. This Authority is now under the Department of Forest and Environment, to provide for administration, control, protection, improvement, conservation and development of the natural environment of the Loktak Lake and for matters connected with as incidental thereto.
The authority, over the years, has grown into a professional lake management organisation through the experience gained; besides, a systematic process of capacity building at various levels has also been initiated to effectively respond to the challenges of managing Loktak Lake through integrated lake basin management practices. The organizational structure of LDA has become more multidisciplinary over the years. Establishment of Project Management Unit in LDA has strengthened its project management and administration capacity.

The authority is also equipped with advanced equipment and machinery for both land and water management works needed for lake conservation and management. The authority has set up a state-of-art Lake Monitoring Laboratory that monitors the health of Lake Ecosystem based on a set of wide ranging parameters. A network of hydro-meteorological stations has also been set up to monitor the hydrological regime of the Manipur River Basin as a whole. Remote Sensing and GIS laboratory is also the hallmark of LDA as it has been spearheading monitoring of the wetland regime and the entire Manipur River basin, especially the forest regime of such a large spatial dimension. …… krishnanbala2004@yahoo.co.in

Some basic information/ fact have been taken from LDA website