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Manipur's Floating Park: A World of Wonders in Danger
31 Jul
Summary
- Loktak Lake hosts the world's only floating national park.
- Local fisherfolk live on floating huts made of vegetation.
- Environmental changes threaten the park and its dancing deer.
Manipur's Loktak Lake harbors the unique Keibul Lamjao National Park, the planet's sole floating national park. This remarkable environment is characterized by "phumdis," which are floating islands composed of vegetation, soil, and organic matter.
Local fisherfolk ingeniously build "phumsangs," or floating huts, from bamboo atop these phumdis. They also create "athaphums," circular fishing enclosures, by shaping phumdis to trap fish. These practices, integral to their culture, are now under threat.
Environmental shifts, exacerbated by a nearby dam, are causing the phumdis to shrink. This ecological crisis endangers the Sangai deer, an endangered species known for its unique 'dancing' gait, and threatens the traditional way of life for the Meitei fishing community.
