Human Security—Climate Change—Manipur: The Gate Way to South East Asia

Abstract

There are several threats to human security, but the two greatest threats appear to be—terrorism and climate change, both of which have ramifications, for every people and every nation. Manipur, a small state in North-East India, sharing a common international border with Myanmar, has and is experiencing how climate change adversely impacts human security, particularly in the current year. The traditional four seasons of the English calendar viz. winter, spring, summer, and autumn are no longer applicable to Manipur, which from the commencement of the current year has been wracked by devastating storms, incessant rain, landslides, fissures habitation being swept away by rivers which have overflowed their banks, bridges disintegrating, especially those constructed of wooden planks and bamboo. This has threatened human security, because basic needs of people especially in hill areas, food, water, housing, clothing, shelter, have dissolved as it were in a mist; water-borne diseases are on the rise, and communication even between adjoining villages has been severed, as also access to health centres, educational institutions, public transport facilities, water and power supply, social media, information. Moreover, Manipur is located in a seismic zone. Climate change takes a great toll and incidence on mortality and income.