Srinagar, Aug 14: The water holding capacity of the Asia’s largest fresh water lake, Wullar, has “drastically” decreased over the years, increasing the flood threat to the Kashmir Valley, a house panel on environment has warned in its report.
 “One fifth of the lake’s water holding capacity has been lost over last three decades due to siltation from degraded catchments and wetland conversions for agriculture and plantations,” the Legislative Assembly panel on environment headed by MY Tarigami has warned in its report.
 The Lake acts as an absorption basin for flood waters, saving Kashmir from being hit by flood. But government neglect and extensive siltation over the years has decreased its carrying capacity.
 “It is not the Wullar of the past; it has got devastated due to pollution, encroachment and siltation,” said Tarigami. He led a three member team to the Bandipora district to assess the situation of the Lake. 
 The encroachment and siltation have been the constant threat to Lake’s survival reducing it from 217 sq km in 1911 to just 125 sq km. It has resulted in disappearing of around 45 percent of the Lake.
 Waking up to the lake degradation, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forestry in 2011 sanctioned Rs 386 crore Wullar Conservation Management Plan.
 At least Rs 120 crores were sanctioned by the 13th Finance Commission for the conservation program which focuses on removing encroachments and weeding out dense grown plantation. The program to be implemented by yet to be constituted Wullar Development Authority process has been taken up.
 “Around 22 lakh trees have grown in the Wullar,” Tarigami quoted District Development Commissioner apprising the team.
 The Panel has recommended that an expert Committee from Kashmir University and Agriculture University should prepare a conservation project report of the Lake.
 “The Conservation work is going slowly which needs to be speeded up,” Tarigami said.
 The role of Wular Lake to regulate flows has drastically reduced due to reclamation, siltation and interventions to enhance draining of water for upstream flood mitigation.
 The Wullar pollution has cast its shadow on fauna and flora in the region apart from hitting the livelihood of people in catchment area.
 The House Committee has noted that direct discharge of solid and liquid wastes from the settlements all along River Jhelum mainly from Srinagar city and other towns in the upstream area have led to degradation of its water quality.
 “It has hit fish and water bird diversity, shifting of vegetation belts and drastic loss in productivity of some economically important species,” the committee has detailed in its report. “The lack of well defined policy and regulatory mechanisms for integrated management has led to cross environmental conflicts and overall degradation of wetland and its resources.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 14 Aug 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 14 Aug 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 15 Aug 2012 00:00:00 IST