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Home , Budgam, Dal Lake, Ganderbal district, Gangabal Lake, Hokersar, Kashmir Division

CONTENTS Introduction 1 ENVIS Newsletter April - September, 2014 Origin of 1

Types of Lakes 1 0 Water bodies of J&K 2 J&K ENVIS Centre Classification of Water bodies as per Land rules 2010 Department of Ecology, Environment & Remote Sensing, of Ministry of Environment and and Forests 2 Findings 4 Introduction Prominent Lakes of State 5

Jammu and Kashmir also known as Salt lakes (also called saline lakes) Ramsar Convention 5 heaven on earth is the northern can form where there is no natural List of of most state in comprising outlet or where the water International Importance of three distinctive divisions Jammu, evaporates rapidly and the J&K under Ramsar Convention 5 Kashmir and . It has two water has a higher than normal salt Government Authorities for capitals - Jammu, the winter content. Examples of salt lakes conservation of Water bodies 6 capital and - the summer include Pangong in Ladakh. Tourism/Biotic pressure on capital. The state is home to lot of Water bodies of J&K 7 Small, crescent-shaped lakes Himalayan glaciers, lakes and Ways to Save Water bodies 8 called oxbow lakes can form in rivers. Jhelum, Indus, Tawi, Ravi Recent Flood in J&K and role river valleys as a result of and Chenab are the major rivers of Water bodies in flood 8 Figure 1: meandering. Examples of ox bow flowing through the state. Dal, References 8 lakes are Waskur, Ahansar, Wular, Mansar, Surinsar and Khushalsar and Gilsar lake etc. From the Director’s Desk Pangong lakes are the main This is the second issue of attractions of the state. Some of Crater lakes are formed in volcanic newsletter for the year 2014-15, the major pilgrimage centers of the craters and calderas which fill up that was to be published by June nation are located in the state, the with precipitation more rapidly than 2014 but due to some local two most important being the they empty via evaporation. An problems followed by floods in Shri Amarnath Ji Cave and ex ample is in Srinagar September in this Shri Mata shrine. District and in got delayed. But I am sure that it Bandipora District. will give an insight into the water Origin of Lakes resources of the state of Jammu & There are a number of natural Types of Lakes Kashmir. The state has vast processes that can form lakes. A potential & all its water bodies Glacial Lake: A lake with origins in recent tectonic uplift of a mountain needs to be preserved as many of a melted glacier such as Sheeshnag range can create bowl-shaped them are under the pressure of Lake located in District . depressions that accumulate water , encroachment, silting, and form lakes. The advance and Artificial Lake: A lake created by construction activity or retreat of glaciers can scrape flooding land behind a dam, called urbanization. They are the main depressions in the surface where an impoundment or reservoir, by flood basins around our cities. Our water accumulates, example of deliberate human excavation e.g., population depends on these for such lakes are Kousarnag, Tarsar, Harwan reservoir in Srinagar, drinking water, fishing, livelihood Marsar etc. reservoir in . etc. Flash floods in the month of September 2014 are an indicator Lakes can also form by means of Endorheic Lake: Example of such that our water bodies are not landslides or by glacial blockages type of lake is Tsomorori in being managed properly and we such as Gangabal, Kishansar, Ladakh. Such lakes are most need to restore their glory for the Vishansar and Nagputan lakes common in desert locations. future generations. located in District. (Suresh Chugh) IFS APCCF/Director DEERS, J&K

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Peri-glacial Lake: Example Keger tso in ladakh. Eolic Lake: A lake which forms in a depression created by the activity of the winds. Sub-glacial Lake: Example Drung drung, Shafat glacial lakes in . Water bodies of J&K

Fjord Lake: A lake in a glacially eroded valley that Water bodies are one of the most important natural has been eroded below sea level. resources of water in our state. Apart from being most valuable natural habitat for a number of Flora Oxbow Lake: A lake which is formed when a wide and Fauna, these water bodies are also life line for a meander from a stream or a river is cut off to form a large number of people and act as part of vital lake. They are called "oxbow" lakes due to the hydrological cycle. distinctive curved shape that results from this As the state is well known for its charming scenery, process. e.g., Hokarsar, Haigam located in comprising beautiful springs, lakes, rivers and their etc tributaries, all these add to its scenic beauty. As per data prepared by Department of Ecology, Rift Lake or Sag pond: A lake which forms as a Environment & Remote Sensing, J&K, there are 1230 result of subsidence along a geological fault in the lakes and water bodies in the state with 150 in Earth's tectonic plates. Examples include the Jammu region, 415 in Kashmir region and 665 in Tsomorori and Pangong lakes in Ladakh. Ladakh. On the basis of altitudes these have been divided into two categories. Underground Lake: A lake which is formed under the surface of the Earth's crust. Such a lake may be  High Altitude Lakes: Gangabal, Vishan Sar, Kishan associated with caves, aquifers or springs. Sar, Sheesh Nag, Nilnag, Kausarnag etc. Crater Lake: A lake which forms in a  Valley Lakes: Wular, Dal, Manasbal, Aanchar, volcanic caldera or crater after the volcano has been Ahansar, , Haigam etc. inactive for some time. Water in this type of lake may be fresh or highly acidic, and may contain various dissolved minerals. Some also have geothermal activity, especially if the volcano is merely dormant rather than extinct.

Lava Lake: A pool of molten lava contained in a volcanic crater or other depression. Lava lakes that have partly or completely solidified are also referred to as lava lakes.

Former: A lake which is no longer in existence. Bodsar is an example of a former lake.

Ephemeral Lake: A seasonal lake that exists as Classification of Water bodies as per a body of water during only part of the year. Wetland Land rules 2010 of Ministry of Intermittent Lake: A lake with no water during a Environment and Forests part of the year. The classification of Wetlands as per the Wetlands Rules 2010, as finalized by Ministry of Environment Shrunken: Examples are Barinambal, Kushhalsar, and Forests Govt. of India is as follows: Anchar, Gilsar located in Srinagar and Hokarsar, Haigam in Baramulla. “The classification system besides all the wetlands incorporates Reservoirs, Ash ponds/Cooling ponds, and abandoned Quarries.”

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The Ministry of Environment and Forests has notified Table 3: Area wise number of Lakes/Water bodies of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, different districts (Old)

2010. These Rules have been drafted by the Ministry No. of No. of lakes/waterbodies lakes/waterbodies of Environment and Forests to ensure better District conservation and management and to prevent having area above having area up to 5 hectares 5 hectares degradation of existing wetlands in India. The water Anantnag 38 60 bodies of the state have been divided into following types: Baramulla 48 76 Table 1: Classification of Lakes/Water Bodies of J&K State as per Wetland rules 2010 Budgam 15 18

Kupwara 1 65 Lakes & Water J&K Kashmir Jammu Ladakh Bodies 4 16

Total 1230 415 150 665 Srinagar 31 43

Above 2500m Total 137 278 1023 240 119 664 (m.s.l) Table 4: Altitude wise number of Lakes/Water bodies Below 2500m 207 175 31 1 of different districts (Old) of Jammu Division (m.s.l) Having area No. of No. of lakes/waterbodies lakes/waterbodies more than 330 137 29 164 District 5 hectares above 2500 m up to 2500 m (a.m.s.l) (a.m.s.l) Having area less 900 278 121 501 than 5 hectares Jammu Nil 15

Having area Nil 1 more than 500 4 4 Nil Nil hectares & below 22 Nil 2500m m.s.l 5 Nil Within Forest 381 233 116 Nil Boundary 5 14

Outside Forest DODA 87 1 881 182 34 Nil Boundary TOTAL 119 31

Table 2: Altitude wise number of Lakes/Water bodies Table 5: Area wise number of Lakes/Water Bodies of of different districts (Old) Kashmir Division different districts (Old) of Jammu Division No. of No. of lakes/waterbodies lakes/waterbodies No. of No. of District lakes/waterbodies lakes/waterbodies above 2500 m up to 2500 m District (a.m.s.l) (a.m.s.l) having area above having area up to 5 hectares 5 hectares Anantnag 95 3 Jammu 1 14 Baramulla 79 45 Kathua Nil 1 Budgam 22 11 Poonch 5 17

Kupwara 3 63 Rajouri 2 3

Pulwama 4 16 Udhampur 1 18

Srinagar 37 37 DODA 20 68

Total 240 175 TOTAL 29 121

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Table 6: Altitude wise number of Lakes/Water Bodies was carried out in Jammu and Kashmir division which of different districts (Old) of Ladakh Division shows that many of the lakes which were present in 1967 (refer Directory of lakes and water bodies No. of No. of published in 1998) have either perished or reclaimed lakes/waterbodies lakes/waterbodies District at an altitude below at an altitude above for different land use activity or some have 2500m(m.s.l) 2500m(m.s.l) disappeared due to natural causes like glacial action,

Leh 1 520 low precipitation, or are on the verge of extinction as shown in different places in the report are Nil 144 summarized district wise as below.

Total 1 664 Table 8: Comparison of Status of Lakes and Water bodies

Table 7: Area wise number of Lakes/Water Bodies of District No. of Lakes and Water bodies different districts (Old) of Ladakh Division SOI Toposheets of LISS III Dataset of No. of No. of 1967 2009 lakes/waterbodies lakes/waterbodies District having area above having area up to Anantnag 88 98 5 hectares 5 hectares

Leh 149 372 Baramulla 163 124

Kargil 15 129 Budgam 25 33

Total 164 501 Doda 13 88

Jammu 15 15 Findings The mapping of lakes and water bodies using Liss III Poonch 22 satellite data set of 2009 revealed that a total of 149 46 and 431 lakes were present in Jammu and Kashmir Rajouri 5 region respectively and 665 in Ladakh region. In comparison to the earlier study of the lakes and water Pulwama 61 20 bodies published in 1998 by Department of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing in which the Kathua 1 1 information was generated using SURVEY OF INDIA TOPOGRAPHICAL MAPS on a scale of Kupwara 111 66 1:50,000(excluding 15 no: of SOI Topo sheets of Srinagar, Doda, Rajouri, Poonch & Anantnag Ladakh 637 665 Districts), the total number of lakes and water bodies was about 1248. Srinagar 52 74

The present status of some of the lakes and water Udhampur 36 19 bodies which have either disappeared or have shrunken due to the human interference and fast Total 1248 1230 urbanization is given below. The extensive field study

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Prominent Lakes of State Pangpong Tso Lake Dal Lake Pangpong tso lake, also known as Pangong lake is an It is a world famous lake lying east of Srinagar city. It endorheic lake in the , situated at a height is Kidney shaped with an area of 11.20 Sq.kms. as of about 4,350 m (14270ft). It is 134 km long and 5 determined through the satellite imageries of the year km wide. Approximately 60% of length of lake lies in 1994 and 1995. The area determined through G.T. Tibet. It is a saline water lake. sheets of 1965 survey is 15.86 sq.kms. The area figure adopted for Dal Lake is 11.20 sq.kms.

Pangpong Tso Lake Dal Lake Ramsar Convention Mansar Lake is a very small and lies amid low hills of The Convention on Wetlands of International Jammu and is about 1.6 km in length but is very Importance, called the Ramsar Convention, is an deep. This lake is considered to be a very holy place intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework and one of the best tourist destinations of Jammu for national action and international cooperation for region. the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

The Ramsar Convention is the only global environmental treaty that deals with a particular ecosystem. The Convention's mission is "the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving Mansar Lake sustainable development throughout the world". List of Wetlands of International Importance It is situated to the north east of Jammu city at a distance of 40 kms. It’s a fresh water warm of J&K under Ramsar Convention monomictic lake with a river damming origin. Surinsar & Mansar lakes are interconnected & are great tourist Surinsar - Mansar Lakes attractions. Ramsar site no.: 1573

Date of Declaration: 08/11/05 Area: 350 ha

Location: 32°45'N 075°12'E

Importance: Wildlife Sanctuary, Hindu sacred site.

Surinsar is rain-fed without permanent discharge, and

Mansar is primarily fed by surface run-off and

partially by mineralised water through paddy fields, Surinsar Lake

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with inflow increasing in rainy season. The site is Area: 18,900 ha socially and culturally very important with many Location: 34°16’N 074°33’E temples around owing to its mythical origin from the Importance: The largest freshwater lake in India Mahabharata period. Although the lakes support with extensive marshes of emergent and floating vegetation, particularly water chestnut, that provides variety of , fishing is discouraged for religious an important source of revenue for the State values. The main threats are increasing visitors, Government and fodder for domestic livestock. agricultural runoff, bathing and cremation rituals. Human activities include rice cultivation and tree Conservation is focused on awareness-raising. farming.

Surinsar - Mansar Lakes Wular Lake

Hokersar Tsomoriri

Ramsar site no.: 1570 Ramsar site no.: 1213 Date of Declaration: 08/11/05 Date of Declaration: 19/08/02. Area: 1,375 ha Area: 12,000 ha. Location: 34°05'N 074°42'E Location: 32°54'N 078°18'E. Importance: Located at the northwest Himalayan Importance: Wetland Reserve. biogeographic province of Kashmir, back of the snow- A freshwater to brackish lake lying at 4,595m above draped Pir Panchal (1,584m asl.), Hokera wetland is sea level, with wet meadows and borax-laden only 10 km from scenic paradise of Srinagar. A wetlands along the shores, in Ladakh region. natural perennial wetland contiguous to the Jhelum basin, it is the only site with remaining reed beds of Kashmir and pathway of 68 waterfowl species like Large Egret, Great Crested Grebe etc.

Tsomoriri

Government Authorities for conservation of Water bodies Hokersar LAWDA Wular Lake Lakes and Waterways Development Authority has Ramsar site no.: 461 been created by the Government of J&K as an Date of Declaration: 23/03/90 autonomous body under development Act, 1970 AD

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vide Government order No.117 of HUD dated implement the following works:- 11.04.1997 to serve a one point agency to look after,  Removal of Willow Plantation. Mange and Conserve the waterbodies and Waterways of the state of J&K. World famous Dal/Nigeen Lakes in  Lake de-siltation the city of Srinagar at the moment form the core  Linkage of Jehlum River Conservation Project and areas of attention of J&K LAWDA. The Authority has a Wular Management Action Plan. whole time mandate to conserve and Mange the  Notifying additional bird Sanctuaries. Dal/Nigeen Lakes under National Lake Conservation Plan of the , under the aegis of  Institutional arrangements. Ministry of Environment and Forests (GOI). The  Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism. mission is to ensure the restoration of the ecological balance of the Dal/Nigeen lakes to serve the purpose of retaining their natural beauty, economic potential Tourism/Biotic pressure on Water bodies of in the form of eco tourism and also to serve as a J&K perpetual source of safe drinking water for the Tourism is essentially a service industry, depending citizens of Srinagar City. almost entirely on natural ingredients like aesthetic Manasbal - Wular Development Authority beauty of mountains, hills, lakes, water-bodies, sylvan canopy, flora, fauna and bracing climate. (MWDA) The state of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the The state government has recently constituted Valley of Kashmir is characterized with some beautiful Manasbal and Wular development authority (MWDA) lakes like the Dal, Wular, Manasbal, Etc. under the aegis of tourism Department. The MWDA The ecosystem of these lakes is degrading fast. has identified 21 action points for development of For example the Dal Lake of Srinagar, well known for wular and manasbal lakes. This authority is mainly its geographical setting and splendid beauty, is facing looking after Tourism infrastructure. This authority is problems. Its crystal-clear water has become engaged in providing facilities around , polluted, giving an obnoxious odour. It has become mainly pertaining to maintenance of parks, pathways etc. the victim of , siltation, encroachment, , vegetables cultivation in floating fields, and Lately, there has been concern about environmental sewage disposal. improvement and overall sustainable management of Lake Ecosystem. Department of forest and remote In order to accommodate more tourists in their and houses, more and more Hanjis are sensing has undertaken several activities for lake increasing their infrastructure of boats. conservation which included catchment conservation and some limited environmental management in the In the mid-1970s, with tourism becoming a key lake area. Keeping in view the immense ecological industry for Jammu and Kashmir, the pressure on the and cultural value of Wular the state government has lake multiplied. There were less than a hundred planned massive intervention for eco restoration and houseboats on the Dal and Nagin lakes at the turn of rehabilitation of the lake, catchment and their the century, but their number grew to a staggering ecosystem. 1,400 by 1981. The 1981 census recorded that hamlets around the lake had a population of 24,500, Wular Conservation and Management an increase of over cent percent since 1973. Authority (WUCMA) The Lakes and Water Development Authority Wular Conservation & Management Authority (L AWDA) believes that about 45,000 people are has been constituted and a comprehensive residents on the houseboats and hamlets, and management action plan for conservation and assuming just about 5,000 tourists live on them management of Wular Lake has been prepared. through the year, the lake bore the burden of about

The technical committee has been entrusted to 50,000 people.

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Ways to Save Water bodies 200 mm of rainfall, this was way above normal. Various catchments like Vishu, Sandran, Bringi,  If you live on a lake, stream or wetland, plant a Kuthar, Arbal, Rambiara Gazan, Doodhganga received buffer strip of native plants along the boundary of very heavy rainfall leading to floods. the water body. If you have a lawn, keep it small and don’t use fertilizers and pesticides. The report indicates that in all 557 sq km area was  Take great care not to overuse pesticides and inundated. Out of this 444 sq km was agriculture fertilizers. This will prevent runoffs of the material land, 20 sq km horticulture land, 67 sq km built up into nearby water sources. area, 3 sq km forest area, 21 sq km wasteland and  By having more plants in your garden you are 2 sq km others. An approximate population of 22 lakh preventing fertilizer, pesticides and contaminated was affected covering 287 villages. water from running off into nearby water sources. The report also suggests strategy to protect the cities  Don’t use the lake as a bathtub. Soaps and from floods in future like feasibility study for shampoos contain nutrients and pollutants that construction of parallel flood channel from are harmful to the lake and organisms living in it. Sangam/Kandizal to Wular. Dredging on regular  Don’t throw litter into rivers, lakes or water intervals, monitoring of sediments, land use, land bodies. Help clean up any litter you see on banks cover, maintaining sanctity of Wetlands and Water of rivers and lakes, make sure it is safe to collect bodies, climate change adaptation and mitigation etc the litter and put it in a nearby dustbin. have been suggested. It also suggests need for a  Learn as much as you can about lakes and the multidisciplinary team to study hydrological response threats they face. of each catchment. Recent Flood in J&K and Role of Water References bodies in Flood  Directory of Lakes & Water bodies of J&K State, Jammu and Kashmir has faced unprecedented floods Department of Ecology, Environment & Remote of the century. Incessant rains in the first week of Sensing, J&K September lead to massive floods in the valley as well  Report: A Satellite Based Rapid Assessment on as in Jammu region. Floods in J&K – September 2014  http://www.ramsar.org A report prepared by Department of Environment,  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki Ecology and Remote Sensing (DEERS) in collaboration  http://www.wularlake.org with -based National Remote Sensing  http://www.phdcci.in Centre, ISRO reveals that the floods in Jammu and  http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com Kashmir are a result of High rainfall in the catchments over short period of time, which were not less than cloud bursts and is a combine effect of the Department of Ecology, Environment extreme event due to climate change and less & Remote Sensing, Jammu & Kashmir capacity of our drainage system that failed to hold the quantum of water and it overflowed, which ultimately lead to floods.

There were incessant rains on September 4. For continuous 30 hours and in three days the rainfall touched 450 mm which was very unusual. Normally, rains take place in J&K from July to mid-September. On September 3 there was a rainfall deficit of 32 percent but on September 8 it showed excess of 18

percent i.e. a change of 50 percent in five days. Website: www.jkenvis.nic.in Lidder catchment received the maximum rain fall of E-mail: [email protected] 277 mm with adjoining catchments receiving around Tel.: 0194 - 2490823, 0194 – 2454847, 0191 - 2474553