518 lakes out of 697 in J&K either disappeared or receding: CAG

A whopping 518 lakes, constituting 74%, have either disappeared or shrunk in Jammu and Kashmir that has resulted in the degradation of ecosystem and climate insecurity, according to the latest report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on Conservation and Management of Lakes for the period up to March 2022. 

The report highlighted that 315 lakes, 45% of the total 697 lakes in J&K that constitute a water area of 1,537.07 hectares, have disappeared. “These lakes included 80 lakes (25%) falling under the jurisdiction of the Forest Department and 235 Lakes (75%) falling under the jurisdiction of Revenue Department and Agriculture Department,” it said. 

The water area of 203 lakes (29% of 697 lakes) had decreased by 1,314.19 hectares. The report suggested that water in 63 lakes has disappeared by “more than or equal to 50%”. “Thus, there is a potential greater risk of extinction of these 63 lakes. 203 lakes included 98 lakes (48%), 83 lakes (41%), 20 lakes (10%) and two lakes,” it added.

Meanwhile, the water area of 150 lakes (22%) has increased by 538.22 hectares. “The water area of 14,535.76 hectares in 29 lakes (4% of 697 lakes) had remained static,” the report pointed out.

The CAG report suggested that the shrinkage of lake area was also one of the causes for massive floods in J&K in September 2014, “as lakes are natural flood balancing reservoirs and defense for the flood regulating system”.

It highlighted that four administrative departments and the Forest Department did not have lake generic management programmes and as such they failed to check growing anthropogenic pressures around lakes, resulting in loss and decrease in open water area and increase in aquatic vegetation. “This adversely affected the ecosystem of the lakes,” it said.

It further pointed out that failure to formulate conservation and management programmes and to undertake lake generic management activities by the district administrations concerned and the Forest Department in respect of 44 lakes resulted in anthropogenic pressures, generated by human activities including construction works. “These anthropogenic pressures led to land use changes in these lakes,” it added.

The fact remained, according to the report, the J&K Ecology, Environment & Remote Sensing Department had “failed to carry out a detailed survey of 697 lakes. “Hence physical, chemical and biological dynamics of lakes were not available for preparing development plans for these lakes,” it said.

Besides, 255 lakes, under the jurisdiction of the Forest department, “had no comprehensive conservation and management programme”. “Although high altitude lakes in protected areas are free from anthropogenic pressures, they may be facing problems of siltation and issues relating to water sources. As such, they also require conservation and management efforts,” it suggested.

The J&K government has conservation and management programmes for only six lakes, which include Dal, Wular, Hokersar, Manasbal, Surinsar and Mansar lakes.