Loktak Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India and home to the distinctive floating phumdi islands and the fishing communities who live on them, remains one of Manipur’s most striking natural and cultural landmarks, even as the broader state has weathered years of conflict.

Fishing families on the lake’s floating villages have continued their traditional way of life largely undisturbed by valley unrest, though rising costs of fuel and supplies, tied to broader highway disruptions, have made daily life more expensive. Community elders described the lake as a place apart, its rhythms shaped by water and season rather than by the conflict on land.

Conservationists say Loktak’s ecological health remains a separate but pressing concern, citing pollution and shrinking phumdi habitat as long-term threats that predate and will outlast the current crisis.