Hokersar Wetland craves for restoration

Srinagar, June 03: Hokersar wetland in Srinagar, an eco-tourism destination and bird paradise is craving for restoration in absence of conservation measures affecting its flora and fauna.
Residents who live around the wetland said for the four years the people have been waiting for the administration to fulfil its promise but nothing has been done so far.
Javid Ahmad, a resident of Zainkote said the wetland was a treasure but over the years the same is losing its sheen.
“The people of villages around it like Zainakote, Sozaith, Chak, Dharmuna, Soibugh, Koshipora would extract Nadru from it and it was a source of livelihood for them,” he said.
“The government is not taking any action in this regard. Some years back some measures were taken but those did not last long and it is again in ruins,” he said.
The resident said people of 13 villages were dependent on the wetland as they would take grass which was used as fodder for livestock however that has been affected.
Javid said if the wetland is restored it will provide avenues for livelihood for the villages and it will also invite migratory birds and also act as a major factor for environment conservation.
He demanded that dredging of the wetland should be started on priority so that it will again become a source of livelihood for people who live around it.
Due to illegal encroachments, presence of waste and pollution has badly affected flora and fauna of the wetland which has also affected the habitat of migratory birds.
Farooq Ahmad, another resident, said the wetland is a bird paradise that attracts lakhs of migratory birds from Siberia, Central Asia and northern Europe.
“Over the years, people have resorted to encroachments which have caused shrinking of the wetland and it is dying due to the negligence of the authorities,” he said.
The wetland with its vast waterways, marshes and vegetation is the biggest in the city and the second biggest in Kashmir covering an area of 13.54 sq km and gives an impression of a bird wonderland when one visits during arrival of migratory birds between Oct and April.
The wetland was declared a Conservation Reserve under the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Wilderness Protection Act of 1978. In 2005, it was declared a Ramsar site under the Ramsar Convention, created for wetlands conservation and sustainable utilisation.
Wildlife Warden, Wetlands Division Kashmir, Ifshan Deewan said they are working for the restoration of Hokersar wetland and have taken many initiatives in this regard.
“We have an agreement with Mechanical Division Baramulla and they have given us some machines to open navigation channels,” she said.
Regarding the presence of solid waste, the Wildlife Warden said previously they have visited the area and done cleaning and had also installed trash guards. “The Irrigation Department has also issued tenders for the trash guards and it takes time,” she said.