Save Wular

Bilal Hussain

 

Wular lake is the largest fresh water lake of the India, having an area of 189 square kilometers. The rampant silitation has devastating effects on the lake. The human encroachments is the adding problem to this. If the rate at which the silitation and encroachments are not stopped, it won’t be far away to see the lake disappearing from the world map of Lakes.  

Wular Lake plays an important role in hydrological regimes of the Kashmir valley and acts as an absorption basin for floodwater. Wular Lake along with its associated marshes is an important waterfowl habitat. The wetland, however, is subjected to heavy siltation due to loss of vegetal cover of the area.  

The lake is the host to numerous migratory birds allover globe. It is also host to many endangered migratory bird species like Marbled Teal Marmaronetta angustirostris, Pallas's Fish-eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus and many others. There is a serious risk of loosing the biological diversity including loss of some important endemic and endangered species due to human encroachment, increase in pollution level and heavy silitation.  

The Local Government so far has not been able to prepare a comprehensive management action plan with a focus on catchment area treatment. Ministry of Environment and Forests has provided substantial support for afforestation of native species and limited engineering measures. 

Local communities have not been involved in the afforestation, which is a major source of silt load in the lake.  The maximum depth of the lake at present is about 14 meters but as the rampant pollution level is increasing, the depth too has got reduced to about 2 meters at some places. 

According to the environmentalists depth reduction has threatened a number of endemic species of the lake, thereby making them figure in the endangered list of species.  It is high time for the government to think of involving Local and International NGOs in the conservation and wise use of Lakes. There by framing the action plan on the sustainable use and development of the Wular lake and its adjacent wetlands.