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Encroachment threatens Kashmir's Wular lake, and with it, thousands of fishermen

The lake that produces varieties of fish, water chestnuts and fodder, provides livelihood to over 30,000 households
Last Updated 02 October 2022, 10:11 IST

The shrinking size of Wular lake, Asia’s largest freshwater body due to encroachments, has resulted in depleted fish stocks causing distress among hundreds of fishermen families living in and around the lake.

The lake that produces varieties of fish, water chestnuts and fodder besides serving as a habitat for migratory waterbirds, provides livelihood to over 30,000 households in over three dozen villages surrounding it for generations.

However, now these families are struggling to earn a living from it as the lake’s condition deteriorates steadily due to growing pollution in the area, causing many varieties of fish to disappear.

Rehti Begum, a fisherwoman who lives in Lankeshpora village near the lake in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, says the quantity of fish and chestnuts has drastically dwindled in recent years. "There was a time when the lake was full of varieties of fish and chestnuts and we would make our living decently. However, now the situation is very difficult as the population of fish has decreased considerably,” she said.

“We have been dependent on the Lake for generations. But as the condition of the Lake is worsening day by day, the future of our children looks bleak,” she added.

The decline in fish catch and rising debts have forced some fishers to shift to other activities for their livelihood. “For generations, we used to catch fish in the lake and sell the same to make our living. But as it became difficult to sustain my family with the income from fishing, I started a small tea stall in Bandipora town to make a living,” said Ghulam Mohammad Dar.

He said his two sons were also assisting him in running the tea stall. “Due to the hard work of all of us, we are able to make our huge family run. Fishing in the Lake has not remained a viable option now,” Dar added.

Large parts of the lake are covered with silt, polyethene and other solid waste. While some varieties of fish have disappeared over the years, many others, experts say, are endangered.

A 2018 study by Agro Economist, an international science journal, said in the last 100 years, the lake has shrunk by 45 per cent from 157.74 square kilometres (60.9 square miles) in 1911 to 86.71 square kilometres (33.48 square miles) in 2007.

The Wullar Conservation and Management Authority (WUCMA), which was set up for the Lake's conservation more than a decade ago, is carrying out dredging for its restoration.

An official of the Authority said that 1.50 sq km of the Lake has been dredged so far and work was in progress. “The government has cleared the Wular Action Plan with a budget of Rs 200 crore for conservation and management of the Lake and we are hopeful in the coming years the condition will improve,” he said.

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(Published 02 October 2022, 10:11 IST)

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