This refers to the restored glory of the Mansabal Lake. The lake is located about 28 kms north of Srinagar. Its surface area is about 2.87 sq kms. The maximum depth is 13 meters with 4-5 meters as mean depth. The water quality has improved to a greater extent in the past last two decades as per the reports of various research institutes presently working on the lake. Mansbal is predominantly flanked by rural areas with three villages Kondabal, Gratabal and Jarokabagh overlooking the lake. It is the deepest lake of the valley and most probably the only that grows stable summer stratification. Mansbal is classified as warm monomictic lake and circulates once in a year for a very short time. On the close of the northern shore are the remnants of a fort which was built in 17th century by a Mughal king to cater the needs of caravans that used to travel from Punjab to Srinagar. On the south overlooking the lake is a hillock-Ahtug which is used for limestone extraction. The eastern part is mainly mountainous and towards the north is elevated plateau known as karewa. The lake has no major inflow channels and the water supply is maintained through spring water inflow and precipitation. Over the years as a result of human pressure the lake has become eutrophic. The water body is virtually choked with submerged weeds particularly during summer which is the highest tourist season. The deep waters become anoxic with considerable accumulation of hydrogen sulphide. The main sources of pollution are the waste water runoff from the catchment population. The pollution level is extremely high on Kondabal side where people live on the extreme banks of the lake. The government has started relocating majority of the catchment population from Kondabal side to minimize the sources of pollution and the construction of a concrete footpath around the lake is at peak.  Efforts are on regarding the lake conservation and at present the status of the lake is much better. But still a lot more needs to be done. Wullar and Mansbal Development Authority have left no stone unturned in shaping the lake in its best.

Ajaz A Magray
Ex-student
Dept. of Botany, KU
rajaz2009@gmail.com 


Lastupdate on : Fri, 1 Jul 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 1 Jul 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 2 Jul 2011 00:00:00 IST