Climate Variability and Its Impacts on Water Resources in the State of Manipur

Abstract

The water resources and the hydrologic cycle form an inseparable component of the changing climate. The alteration of the hydrologic cycle due to variation in the climatic component will result in the redistribution of water resources in the course of time. At the same time, the local micro-climate will be affected by the changes in the water regime which will certainly exacerbate climate change to a certain extent. With a growing population and erratic rainfall, the water resources in the state of Manipur are under tremendous pressure to meet the rising demand. Urbanization, large scale deforestation, untimely rainfall and lack of rain water harvesting practices have worsened the water scarcity in the state. Although the global climate change phenomenon cannot be prevented we could try adapting to the current climate variability. Promotion of water conservation and development of rational adaptation practices would go a long way in minimizing the adverse impacts of climate variability on water resources for a sustainable Manipur.