{"id":1278,"date":"2026-06-30T04:17:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T04:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1278"},"modified":"2026-06-30T04:17:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T04:17:24","slug":"warming-climate-pollution-and-unplanned-growth-push-kashmirs-lakes-toward-disappearance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1278","title":{"rendered":"Warming climate, pollution and unplanned growth push Kashmir\u2019s lakes toward disappearance"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SRINAGAR, India (AP) \u2014 Every morning, long, narrow wooden boats called shikaras move elegantly across expansive Dal Lake in a postcard-perfect scene framed by the Himalayan mountains. <\/p>

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But all is not perfect in one of South Asia\u2019s best-known lakes. Pollution from local buildings, invasive plant species that threaten biodiversity and declining water levels, in part due to climate-driven heat, are threatening the long-term existence of Dal Lake and hundreds of other lakes in Indian-controlled Kashmir.<\/p>

It takes constant effort by workers employed by the local government to keep Dal Lake\u2019s weeds at bay, and they must take precautions to avoid skin irritation from the polluted water. Yet it could be worse for the lake, which is located in Kashmir\u2019s most populous city, Srinagar. It\u2019s one of the few lakes in the region to receive sustained restoration work. <\/p>\n

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An employee of the Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) uses a machine to clear weeds from Dal Lake in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo\/Dar Yasin)<\/div><\/div>
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A couple on their way to work row a shikara, a traditional boat, through algae and trash-filled waters of Wular Lake in Bandipora, northeast of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (AP Photo\/Dar Yasin)<\/div><\/div>
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A Kashmiri woman cleans a blanket in algae-filled water on the banks of Wular Lake in Bandipor, northeast of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (AP Photo\/Dar Yasin)<\/div><\/div>
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A cyclist walks a bike on a wooden footbridge as a man rows his boat in the interiors of Dal Lake on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo\/Dar Yasin)<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\u201cWe are afraid to touch the water with bare hands. Whenever we need to clean something by hand, we wear gloves, because without them our hands quickly develop allergies,\u201d Ghulam Rasool, a weed cleaner employed by the local government, said on a recent afternoon. <\/p>\n

Rasool said that sometimes it feels impossible to keep the lake clean. <\/p>

\u201cSewage drains flow directly into the lake, and water streams coming from the mountains are bringing waste such as diapers and other garbage,\u201d he said.<\/p>

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