Lakes crop up in areas lying low to their surroundings withalmost hillocks, hills, forests, mountains standing on one of their sides. Thewater oozing from any small springs interconnecting one another and some amountof rain or snow melted water percolating through the porous layers of the earthjoining together make up a lake with a due outlet to maintain its level. Mansbal lake in the district of Ganderbal isone such wonderful lake of the threefamous lakes of Dal in Srinagar andWular in the district of Bandipora. This four kilometer long east-west and one kilometer wide in north- southlake is at a distance of 32 kilometersfrom Srinagar at the tail end of thedistrict Ganderbal 25 kilometersdistant to the district of Bandipora sharing its borders at Safapora in the north-west. Unlike the mostattended to and encroached upon Dal lake, Mansbal lake though smallest of threeis topping in purity of water with retention of much of its erstwhile physicalshape and borders for havingwitnessed comparatively less and littleincidents of encroachments till date.Thinly populated periphery, removal ofall the eastern dwellings &three-fourth of Gratabal residency, more than half of its circumference free ofhuman hamlets on west and north-western borders being the reasons. The lake ismentioned to be the deepest fresh waterlake in Asia.
It is believed to be fed by 1,200 springs sprouting fromwithin giving it a permanent life line with rain & snow waters flowing from the catchment areas adding to its level strength.The lake being calm with no accident rate is easily navigable for swim andboat/shikara rides round the year. Tothe south of the lake lies the crescentshaped Kondabal hillock (known asAhtuang) famous for lime stone quarries (Kondas) with appertinent populous Kondabal village drawing its name and to thenorth are villages/mohallas of Gratabal, Jaroka Bagh – a Mughal Garden builtby Queen Noor Jehan, Bagwan mohalla,Fargard Mohalla followed by Safaporaticking up for township with confluenceof Bandipora-Safapora-Sumbal-Srinagar and Bandipora-Safapora-Ganderbal-Srinagarroads. Safapora derives its name from Baghe-Safa built by Jehangir- the 16thcentury Mughal Emperor of Kashmir. Theeast has beautiful landscaping thrillswith aquatic sports & other sportiveactivities with a recently renovated ageold rest house located at what is known as Qazi Bagh in the foot hold of another hillock (DiyalarMode) with vintage point over viewing the four directions. Qazi Bagh also has the same antecedents as mentioned above. In thesouth-eastern there is also a diamond shaped sculptural stoneabout 10 feet high with almost samegirth and a mosque adjacent to it. The west with some patches of willow trees and marshes provide vast openness with its outlet passing through Nainara village of Sumbal tehsil wherefrom it transcends into river Jhelum toembrace its eldest brother Wular lake after traversing a distance ofabout 12 kilometers in the district of Bandipora.
This 13 to 40 feet deep lake with a shore length of about 11kilometers provides livelihood tothousands of people through out the year through boat/shikara rides, fishing, angling, extraction of water/lotusnuts etc. The lake has all weather connectivity from the end points ofSafapora, Kondabal, Pattermulla and Nisbal from district Bandipora and is mostlyvisited on Sundays. It serves as apenstock to two water supply schemes oneeach on its north & south banks augmenting the drinking water (categorized as soft water) facilities to areas ofSafapora, Chewa, Chandergeer and Nisbal, Kondabal, Zazna etc, respectively.Apart from lake economics and entertainments, its northern bank shoulders thelighthouse of Government HigherSecondary School Safapora in tranquil atmosphere with a fascinating overlook ofthe lake refreshing every moment the inmates preparing for higher levels ofeducation & learning. Adjacently situated is the P-4 Basic Seed Station Farm of Central Government spreadover hundreds of kanals of land adding to lush green beauty of the lake/surroundings. The lake has a centripetal gravitation on religious counts also.On the northern bank crested with distinctive points of attraction is abeatific mausoleum of a great saint known as Syed Sheikh Kamal Saheb with agraveyard in front and a cremationground bordering the lake at a distance of some 300 yards eastward.
With the establishment of Wular and Mansbal Conservation& Management Authority (WUMCA) a fresh hope is generated. To execute theplans, cooperation from people is a must.
(The author is a former Sr. Audit Officer working as Consultant in the A.G’s OfficeSrinagar.)