Manipur's Lake: A Floating Wildlife Haven

Loktak Lake, situated in Manipur's Moirang region, is renowned for its surreal landscape of floating islands called phumdis. These unique structures are masses of decomposing vegetation and soil, strong enough to support entire villages and the Keibul Lamjao National Park, the planet's only floating national park.

This specialized environment is a haven for biodiversity, home to approximately 200 aquatic plant species and 400 animal species, including the rare Indian python. The lake is also the primary sanctuary for the Sangai deer, or brown-antlered deer, a species once feared extinct but now recovering due to conservation efforts.

However, the phumdis face significant threats. The construction of the Ithai Dam in the 1980s altered the lake's water levels, permanently flooding the phumdis. This prevents their roots from reaching the lakebed for essential nutrients, causing them to thin and jeopardizing the unique habitat and its inhabitants.