MLA Achumbemo Kikon along with meeting officials of district administration and Wokha Town Council.
Wokha, January 23 (MExN): A review meeting was held on January 22 to address the critical depletion of the Mt Tiyi water source feeding Wokha town, with calls for urgent conservation measures to safeguard water security, stated a press note.
The meeting, chaired by Achumbemo Kikon, MLA and Secretary General of the Naga People’s Front (NPF) who also heads the Nagaland Legislative Assembly Committee on Climate Change, included officials from the District Administration and the Wokha Town Council (WTC).
Officials from the Deputy Commissioner’s office briefed the MLA on the reduced discharge from the Mt Tiyi source. The WTC reported that the town’s historic Etsu-Cukha well, a community water source used for over a century, had dried up prematurely even before the onset of the dry season. This depletion was attributed to deforestation in the catchment area and unregulated drilling of borewells.
Following the review, Kikon and the officials visited the Etsu-Cukha well. Locals confirmed it had dried up for the first time this year. The well, known as “The Elite Well” during the British era for its use by colonial officials, was historically a dependable water source.
Terming the situation “alarming,” Kikon stressed the need for a scientific assessment of the water source and long-term protection of the catchment.
He identified afforestation as a core intervention, stating that increasing green cover would enhance groundwater recharge and restore ecological balance.
As an immediate step, the meeting resolved that each council member would personally take responsibility to plant and nurture at least 20 saplings, making the plantation drive accountable rather than symbolic.
The MLA further proposed workshops and seminars on climate change and environmental protection, alongside segregation of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste to reduce ecological stress. Calling upon the Town Council to discourage random borewell extraction and promote responsible water usage, he urged the council members to start a massive plantation drive even before World Environment Day.
The deliberation was noted as being in line with the recent Climate Conference held in Kohima, where legislators discussed climate resilience in the Northeast. At the conference, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh had stressed that climate change is emerging as one of the most pressing challenges for the region, calling for a holistic and community-based approach that integrates indigenous knowledge, effective town planning, and sustainable resource management.
Kikon also urged the Forest Department to extend full cooperation for plantation and catchment protection activities.
