Imphal: Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho has assured state government support for the continued implementation of the Community-based Sustainable Forest Management for Water Resources Conservation in Manipur (COSFOM) project, which aims to restore 21,800 hectares of degraded forest land and strengthen watersheds across the state.
Dikho gave the assurance during a briefing at the Civil Secretariat in Mantripukhri, where a delegation from the German Development Bank (KfW) and the COSFOM project reviewed its progress and implementation challenges.
Nina Jantos, KfW’s portfolio manager for natural resources and climate in East and Southeast Asia, outlined the project’s ecological outcomes and progress, noting operational challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and local conflicts.
Implemented under the Indo-German Program on Climate Change Adaptation, the project aims to restore degraded forests, strengthen upper watersheds and improve livelihoods for communities dependent on forest resources.
Jantos requested Dikho’s intervention to ensure the project continues smoothly. Dikho acknowledged KfW’s contributions to forest conservation, community infrastructure and local self-help groups, and assured the delegation of the state government’s assistance in implementing the initiative.
The project is a Government of India development initiative supported by KfW, implemented by the Manipur Forest Department and managed by the Community Forestry and Water Conservation Society-Manipur.
The meeting was attended by Bjoern Wode and K. Hrishikesh Singh of GFA Consulting Group, Saravanakumar Veerasivam of KfW New Delhi, and senior Manipur Forest Department officials L. Joykumar Singh, Sanajaoba Khuraijam and Ajay Srivastava.