Manipur Ethnic Strife Impedes Jal Jeevan Mission As Water Crisis Loom Large Over State

Guwahati: The ambitious goal of extending safe drinking water to 4.5 lakh households by this year in Manipur under the Jal Jeevan Mission has hit a staggering roadblock, a conflict stretching over eight months, crippling the northeast state’s progress. Despite serving the state’s capital Imphal and its environs, requiring 124 Million Litre per Day, through 17 water treatment plants, disruptions in conflict-affected zones like Kangchup, Kangchup extension, and Potshangbam-II, coupled with sabotage at the Singda treatment plant’s pipeline, severely curtailed water supply, the DIPR release stated. In parallel, the Director in-charge of Manipur’s Environment and Climate Change Department, Tourangbam Brajakumar, highlighted a looming crisis arising from the drying up of springs and the disappearance of wetlands, contributing significantly to the state’s water scarcity issue. “While regions like Rajasthan and Delhi, with minimal annual rainfall, 200mm and 400mm respectively, sustain sufficient water supply throughout the year, but Manipur, receiving 1,600mm annual rainfall, grapples with water scarcity,” Brajakumar said. The release further stated that the conflict’s ripple effects on vital water infrastructure and the looming specter of dried springs and vanishing wetlands paint a stark picture of an impending water crisis.