Loktak Lake is a unique body of water that is located in the lush highlands of Manipur in northeastern India. It is the largest freshwater lake in northeastern India and one of the world's most environmentally unique wetlands, covering an area of about 280 square kilometres. The existence of phumdis, thick, floating masses of flora, soil, and organic materials that drift across the lake's surface, is what distinguishes Loktak from all other lakes in the world. It is these phumdis that give birth to Keibul Lamjao, the world's only floating national park, and that make Loktak a site of global ecological importance.

The Phenomenon of Phumdis

Phumdis are heterogeneous masses of soil, vegetation, and organic matter in various stages of decomposition, bound together over centuries into thick, buoyant islands. They range in thickness from a few centimetres to over a metre, and together they cover nearly 40% of the lake's total surface area. The largest consolidated phumdi, covering approximately 40 square kilometres in the lake's southern portion, forms the base of Keibul Lamjao National Park.

These floating islands are not static. Wind, water currents, and changing seasons keep this underwater scene constantly moving. During the rainy season, phumdis soak up water, grow heavier, sink a little deeper, and hold more firmly to the ground beneath. In summer, they dry out, rise, and fragment. This rhythm sustains a complex web of biodiversity.

Keibul Lamjao: A Park that Floats

Declared a national park in 1977, Keibul Lamjao is the last natural refuge of the endangered Sangai (Cervus eldi eldi), also called the brow-antlered deer or dancing deer. The Sangai is Manipur's state animal and one of India's most threatened mammals. With an estimated wild population of fewer than 300 individuals, it depends entirely on the phumdis for survival - grazing on aquatic grasses and navigating the spongy terrain with hooves adapted to floating ground.

The park shelters a remarkable array of wildlife beyond the Sangai: otters, hog deer, wild boars, and a rich avifauna including the migratory bar-headed goose, grey-headed lapwing, and several species of kingfisher. The lake ecosystem as a whole supports over 230 bird species, making it a critical stopover on the Central Asian Flyway.

Ecological Services

Loktak Lake provides irreplaceable ecological services to the region. The lake works like a giant sponge, soaking up excess water during the monsoon and keeping the Manipur River from flooding. It gives young fish a safe place to grow, helping thousands of fishing families earn a living. It also replenishes underground water and helps keep the local weather balanced. The phumdis do their own quiet job too, they trap dirt and soak up harmful substances, cleaning the water naturally before it spreads out. They are also significant carbon sinks because they store organic carbon in their dense, dissolving matrix.

Threats and Conservation Challenges

Loktak is under increasing threat despite being protected. The lake's water level was permanently raised in 1983 when the Ithai barrage on the Manipur River was constructed for hydroelectric generation. Phumdis thickened unnaturally and colonised open water as a result of this disruption of their natural rise-and-fall cycle.

Invasive weeds like water hyacinth and Zizania latifolia have slowly taken over, pushing out native plants and animals. The lake is also suffering from mud build-up, overfishing, growing human settlements, and farm chemicals washing into the water. All of this has shrunk the natural habitat where the rare Sangai deer lives.

Since 1990, Loktak has been recognised under the Ramsar Convention as a globally important wetland. The Indian government, through the Loktak Development Authority, has taken steps to protect it. But real recovery is still far away. It needs a steady government will and honest participation from the local communities who depend on it daily.

A Living Cultural Landscape

For the people of Manipur, Loktak is not just a lake; it is home, history, and identity. Fishing families have lived for generations in small huts built right on the floating phumdis, a way of life found nowhere else on earth. The lake is woven into their songs, stories, and daily rhythms. Saving Loktak is not only about protecting a rare deer or a unique floating park. It is about keeping alive a place that holds an entire region together, its nature, its culture, and its people. Lose the lake, and you lose a piece of who they are.

Frequently Asked Questions about Loktak Lake in Manipur

1. Why is Keibul Lamjao called the world's only floating national park?

Keibul Lamjao National Park is built entirely on phumdis - naturally occurring floating islands of vegetation and organic matter on Loktak Lake. No other national park in the world is situated on a floating substrate, making it a globally unique protected area.

2. What is the Sangai deer, and why is it endangered?

The Sangai, a rare brow-antlered deer found only in Keibul Lamjao, is disappearing fast. Rising water levels, habitat loss, poaching, and shrinking phumdis have pushed it to the edge. Fewer than 300 still survive in the wild.

3. Is Loktak Lake protected under any international convention?

In 1990, Loktak Lake was officially recognised as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, a global acknowledgment of how vital this freshwater lake is for wildlife, water balance, and the lives of people across northeastern India.