Ithai Barrage and Environmental Sustainability: A Case Study of Loktak Lake

As humankind uses natural resources to satisfy their needs, the exploitation and exploration of different resources have increased incredibly. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, the choices to increase their standard of living surpassed their necessities. This has resulted in the creation of many infrastructures. Among them is the Ithai Barrage erected in 1983 primarily to generate electricity and Manipur’s gross domestic product (GDP). This has taken a toll on the natural flow of the environment. This analysis analyzes the pre - Ithai Barrage and post - Ithai Barrage environmental sustainability through land use and land cover change is using the Environment Sustainability Index. It is found that even before the event of the Ithai Barrage sustainability was low. The earlier phase after the Ithai Barrage erection shows an increase in sustainability but the later phase witnesses lower Environmental Sustainability than the pre-Ithai condition.