UKHRUL DISTRICT in northern Manipur presents a paradox of plenty. The region receives abundant rainfall yet suffers from chronic water scarcity for most of the year. The cause lies not in insufficient precipitation but in the inability to capture, store and manage water effectively. Ukhrul covers about 2,206 square kilometres and, before the creation of Kamjong District in 2016, it had a recorded population of 183,998 in the 2011 Census, of which 138,382 fall within the current district boundaries. The district’s uplands include Shirui Kashong, or Shirui Peak, which rises about 2,835 metres above sea level, and Khayang Peak at roughly 3,114 metres. These highlands form the source of most of Ukhrul’s springs and headwater streams which sustain both household and agricultural demand.
In the last four months I have extensively travelled across Ukhrul, meeting both important local officials, community leaders, students and ordinary villagers, walking through the hills, settlements and spring zones that define the district’s geography. From the high ridges of Shirui to the narrow lanes of Hungpung and Phungcham, I have listened to stories of households queuing for water, of elders recalling perennial springs that have dried up, and of community leaders working quietly to revive them. These encounters revealed not only the scale of water insecurity but also the remarkable resilience and awareness among the people of Ukhrul. They understand intuitively that water is not merely a developmental resource but the lifeblood of their cultural and ecological identity. This direct engagement convinced me that Ukhrul’s water challenge is not a crisis of nature but of human neglect and fragmented planning, one that can be reversed through science, community leadership and policy vision.
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The physical environment of Ukhrul explains much of this crisis. The terrain is steep and fractured, composed of shallow soils through which rainwater rapidly runs off rather than infiltrating. As a result, there are no substantial aquifers or natural reservoirs capable of balancing rainfall seasonality. Nearly all precipitation falls between June and September, leaving prolonged dry months for the rest of the year. Recent climatic observations show increasing irregularity of rainfall with more frequent short, intense storms and cloudbursts that cause severe erosion, diminish infiltration, and reduce the capacity of the soil to retain moisture. Over time this pattern has caused a steady decline in the discharge of natural springs, disrupting traditional water systems and placing new pressures on both rural and urban communities.
These environmental vulnerabilities are compounded by demographic and infrastructural pressures. Ukhrul Town, the district headquarters, had a population of over twenty-seven thousand in 2011 and has grown considerably since. Estimates from the Public Health Engineering Department and independent studies indicate that current urban water demand ranges between fourteen and twenty lakh litres a day, while the supply during the dry season falls far short of this figure. The shortfall forces rationing and dependence on tanker water and community stand posts. Fewer than fifteen hundred households receive piped water, and most of these connections provide intermittent supply. In rural areas, more than seventy-five per cent of households rely on springs, ponds or shallow wells that dry up during the winter. Women and children walk long distances each day to fetch water, leading to a loss of productivity and serious health consequences.
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Yet this story need not end in scarcity. The water crisis in Ukhrul is not the result of insufficient rainfall but of a failure to retain, recharge and distribute it. Studies from across the Himalayan region have shown that localised, scientifically guided watershed interventions such as contour trenches, vegetative bunds, small check dams and recharge pits can significantly improve groundwater replenishment and spring flow. Encouragingly, Ukhrul has already witnessed early progress. The Directorate of Environment and Climate Change has undertaken pilot springshed management and hydrogeological studies in Lunghar village, blending scientific mapping with community participation. The project, documented in government reports, local media and a peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Biodiversity Management and Forestry, applied small-scale recharge techniques and reforestation measures to revive a declining spring. Field reports suggest measurable improvements in discharge and household access, though comprehensive long-term monitoring data are still awaited. The Lunghar initiative therefore represents a promising and verifiable pilot, a spark of practical hope from which a larger district-wide model could emerge.
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To envision such a model, it is useful to turn to a proven example. Among the successful experiences in the eastern Himalayas, the Dhara Vikas Programme of Sikkim stands as a landmark. Initiated in 2008 by the Rural Management and Development Department of the Government of Sikkim with support from the United Nations Development Programme, it sought to restore drying springs through systematic springshed development. Like Ukhrul, Sikkim is a mountainous state marked by fractured rock formations, concentrated monsoon rainfall and a population dependent on springs for drinking and irrigation. When conventional water schemes failed to address declining springs, Sikkim shifted focus from supply engineering to ecological recharge. Dhara Vikas introduced a participatory, science-based framework that brought hydrology and community stewardship together in one design.
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Under the programme, each spring’s recharge zone was mapped and treated using a combination of contour trenches, percolation pits, check dams and afforestation with indigenous species. Hydrogeological inputs from the People’s Science Institute, Dehradun, and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu, provided scientific precision, while funding was mobilised through the convergence of existing government schemes such as MGNREGA and the Integrated Watershed Management Programme. Villagers themselves became custodians of their catchments, blending tradition and modernity in water conservation.
To be concluded.
(Dr. Aniruddha Babar, Dept of Political Science, St. Joseph’s College, Ukhrul, Manipur. Deputy Director, “Center for North-East Development and Policy Research (CNEDPR)”, St. Joseph’s College, Ukhrul, Manipur).