Hans News Service Jammu

TheComptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has flagged alarming degradation of lakes in Jammu and Kashmir, revealing that 518 out of 697 natural lakes -- over 74 per cent -- in the Union territory have either disappeared or decreased in size since 1967, leading to significant ecological imbalance and loss of biodiversity.

As per the CAG report on the conservation of lakes in Union territory for the year ended March 31, 2024, out of the total 697 lakes with a total area of 28,990 hectares, as many as 315 lakes covering 1,537.07 hectares have disappeared, while the area of 203 lakes shrank by 1,314.19 hectares.

“There was a total decrease and disappearance of an area of 2,851.26 hectares in 518 lakes,” the report stated. The CAG strongly recommended a series of measures for effective conservation and management of lakes in Jammu and Kashmir, stressing the need for a structured and time-bound approach.

It said this large-scale shrinkage has resulted in loss of flora and fauna, disruption of ecological services, and adverse impacts on water, food and biodiversity. It also said the reduction in lake area has contributed to climate insecurity and was one of the factors behind the devastating Jammu and Kashmir floods in September 2014, highlighting that lakes act as natural flood buffers.

Jammu and Kashmir, endowed with 697 natural lakes spread across 20 districts in two divisions, holds immense ecological and socio-economic significance, it said. These include 185 major lakes larger than five hectares, such as the Wular Lake, the largest freshwater lake in India, along with several other prominent water bodies.