IMPHAL, March 14: The International Day of Action for Rivers was observed today with volunteers of several civil and local bodies organizing a meeting on the theme ‘Clean Sekmai turel’ event at Awang Sekmai.
The organizations behind the observance were Manipur Cycle Club; Advanced Women’s Society Awang Sekmai made up of 14 Leikais; Forum for Indigenous Perspective and Action; Centre for Organization, Research and Education; Environment and Human Development; Human to Human Tran-culture Centre for Torture and Trauma; Gorkha Jyoti Youth Club, Kanglatombi; United People’s Front and Ereima Gender Empowerment and Resource Centre.
Speaking at the event, CORE president Dr D Roy Laifungbam said the day is being observed so as to raise the concern of the people against threats faced by rivers and the people inhabiting along the river banks.
He continued that the Sekmai River is one of the largest flowing rivers of Manipur and belongs to the Chindwin-Irrawaddy basin.
He said, its water flows into the Loktak-Ikop-Wetlands of the Southern Manipur valley before leaving the valley via Ethai and Chingunghoot.
As a critical component of keeping our rivers healthy and flowing free, we need to focus our collective attention on the upstream quality of our rivers so that our pats/wetlands are preserved and their ecological services value enhanced.
He further appealed against the construction of dams.
Continuous sand and stone removal by private operators and contractors have resulted in severe degradation of the river, he said before appealing to the private operators and contractors to pick stones from the middle of the river instead of picking up from the river banks if they really have to.
He said, the river is now under sever threat from the sand and stone miners and the modern picnickers who seem to have no interest on the river except dump their garbage after their short version of taking pleasure from the river.