Comments
Imported hovercrafts, which were deployed in the Loktak lake here to flush out militants, are frightening off migratory birds and making the fragile ecosystem of the area inhospitable for the winged guests.
The presence of three hovercrafts — vehicles that can be driven both over water and land — which were procured from the US a year ago, are scaring away the birds from the biggest freshwater lake in the North East, say ornithologists and environmentalists.
According to a latest study by the Imphal-based Centre for Conservation of Nature and Cultivation of Science, the diversity and population of birds has reduced drastically. Ornithologist R.K. Birjit Singh, who led the research, said that noise pollution was the biggest drawback of the hovercrafts. “Any sound above 85 decibel has the potential to harm not only the habitat of water birds but also to the anatomy and physiology of the birds. But these hovercrafts are producing noise at the rate of 104 decibel to 120 decibel like jet engines,” he added.
Each winter, thousands of birds from the Northern Hemisphere migrate to the picturesque freshwater Loktak lake, spread across 286 sq km across the three valley districts of Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishnupur.
Facing ecological challenges, the wetland is designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. Another environmentalist, R.K. Ranjan, said “Loktak is also the only remaining natural habitat to the endangered brow-antlered deer, locally known as Sangai, so we should not be doing anything that might harm them potentially.”
The hovercraft station is located in Toubul village near a water bird congregation site, which is richest in terms of species diversity and population.
According to the study, around 2000 cattle egrets were sighted near the village two years ago, but now the numbers have dropped to an alarmingly low figure of 64. Officials of the Loktak Development Authority (LDA), however, said that “by proper monitoring of the activities inside all areas of the lake, hovercrafts are actually benefiting the waterbody. Proper steps are taken lest it might disturb the ecology,” LDA’s project coordinator Sanajaoba Meitei said.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.