Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Sunday said that a movement by the public is of utmost necessary to stop the pollution of rivers in the state.

The chief minister said this while participating in the “Save Nambul Save Environment” campaign in Mongshangei village in Imphal West district.

The campaign has been initiated by Mongshangei Kanba Apunba Lup (MKNL) to clean the Nambul river and its surrounding area.

‘A People’s Movement is the need of the hour to stop the degradation and rising pollution of rivers in the State. Delighted to have attended the “Save Nambul Save Environment”, a mega cleaning campaign of the Nambul River and it’s surrounding areas by the Mongshangei Kanba Apunba Lup (MKNL) Mongshangei, IW,” N Biren Singh tweeted.

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The Central Pollution Control Board had identified Nambul river as one of the most polluted rivers in the state.

The river originates from Kangchup hills in West Imphal district and flows into the Loktak Lake, a Ramsar site.

Singh also inspected the progress of the sewerage treatment plant which is under construction at Heirangoithong in Imphal West.

The sewerage treatment plant is being built under the Manipur government’s ‘Rejuvenation and Conservation of Nambul River’ project.

The polluted waters drained from the settlement near the banks of the Nambul river will be treated in the treatment plants coming up in the area.

The state government is implementing the project at an estimated cost of Rs 97.72 crores under the National River Conservation Plan of the ministry of environment, forest and climate change to free the Nambul river of effluents within three years.