Manipur: The Central Forest Division, Forest Department, Government of Manipur, and The Indian Orient 2025, a Manipur-based non-profit organisation, signed a MoU on 30 October 2026 to undertake the five-year pilot phase of ReTreeFy Project Manipur. The initiative aims to revive diminishing freshwater sources, restore degraded forest catchments and strengthen long-term ecological and water security in the Imphal Valley. The MoU was signed in the presence of PCCF & HoFF and Additional Chief Secretary Anurag Bajpai.
Under the knowledge partnership, the Forest Department will provide technical and institutional guidance, while The Indian Orient 2025 will lead implementation, scientific investigations and interventions under guidance of Forest Department community mobilisation and resource mobilisation. Anurag Bajpai emphasised that the initiative must be community-led, with local communities involved from the planning stage. Ajay Chanam of The Indian Orient 2025 highlighted the need to address the deterioration of springs and freshwater systems caused by forest and catchment degradation, altered groundwater recharge, increased runoff, flooding and seasonal water scarcity.
The five-year pilot will focus on scientifically identifying, protecting and restoring critical springsheds that feed the Imphal Valley. Key activities will include inventory and GIS mapping of springs and catchments; hydrogeological assessment of recharge zones and spring discharge; soil- and water-conservation measures such as contour trenches and bunds; riparian afforestation and native-species plantations; and periodic scientific monitoring of water and ecological outcomes.
The programme will also strengthen community-based water governance through local Water Resource and Conservation Committees, guided by Free, Prior and Informed Consent principles. Village nurseries and local residents will be engaged in sapling production, planting, protection and maintenance, supporting green livelihoods. Springshed management methods will be aligned with the ACWADAM approach and implemented in accordance with applicable environmental and forest regulations and the Forest Department’s technical guidance.
The pilot is intended to develop a scientifically informed, community-owned and replicable model integrating forest conservation, freshwater security, community stewardship and livelihood generation. It forms part of ReTreeFy Manipur’s broader 70-year vision (2025–2095), conceived by The Indian Orient 2025, to promote ecological regeneration through indigenous, fruit-bearing and flowering trees, with the wider objectives of saving rivers, generating sustainable community income and supporting nature-based tourism.
