Decline of Dal, Wular lakes will impact biodiversity, livelihood of people: Experts

Srinagar, June 14: A day after the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) released satellite images revealing the decline of Kashmir’s Wular and Dal lakes, experts warned that the decline will have a negative impact on biodiversity and people’s livelihoods.
NASA released satellite images of Wular and Dal lakes, which supply water for drinking and irrigation in northern India and are surrounded by the high Himalaya Mountains, on Tuesday, adding that the lakes have been declining in recent years.
Dr.Irfan Rashid, Senior Assistant Professor in the Department of Geoinformatics at the University of Kashmir saidthese water resources are critical to the socioeconomic and ecological well-being of Kashmir.
“When lakes shrink, it has an impact on people’s socioeconomic situation.” “There is no concept of environmentally friendly infrastructure, and it has an impact on the environment as well as these water bodies,” he said.
Dr.Irfan stated that there used to be a lot of wetlands in Srinagar, and the Remote Sensing Department confirmed ten years ago that half of the wetlands had been lost.
“There are many wetlands and water bodies like Dal, Hygam, Hokersar, Narkara, and Wular that have witnessed unplanned urbanisation patterns around these wetlands have affected them, and people have turned the land for agriculture and other construction activities,” he said.
“Kashmir is prone to flooding, and these lakes and wetlands absorbed and sucked water. We have lost many wetlands, and floods are on the way,” Dr.Irfan predicted.
“Yes, this will have a long-term impact on people and their livelihoods.” “Biodiversity is declining, and those who bear the brunt of the ecological consequences are suffering,” he said.
According to AjazRasool, a hydraulic engineering expert and environmentalist, NASA satellite images were taken in 2020, and a lot of deweeding and dredging work was done in both lakes after that.
“This is incorrect, and we cannot claim that the lakes have shrunk. Weeds have been encroached,” he admitted.
“The current situation is different. After 2020, the J&K Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) in Dal Lake has implemented numerous changes, including de-weeding activities. Deweeding is also taking place in Wular Lake, according to Ajaz.
“Even if there are attempts at encroachment in Dal Lake, authorities take action,” he said. “The authorities should take measures until the pollution at Dal Lake is controlled,” he added.