Encroachments Threaten Dal, Nigeen, Baba Demb, Jhelum & Anchar: Urgent Holistic Lake Conservation Needed, Says Altaf Dar

GNS ONLINE NEWS PORTAL

SRINAGAR DECM,05:-Socio-political activist and senior trade union leader Muhammad Altaf Dar from Rajbagh has raised serious concerns over the worsening condition of Kashmir’s key water bodies—Dal Lake, Nigeen Lake, Baba Demb, the River Jhelum, and Anchar Lake. He has urged authorities to formulate a comprehensive, scientific, and sustained conservation strategy to counter the escalating threats to these vital ecosystems.

While appreciating the recent revival measures undertaken for the Gilsar–Khushalsar lake system, Altaf Dar said that critical issues across other water bodies continue to remain ignored. “What about the ongoing encroachments at Dal Lake, Nigeen Lake, Baba Demb, River Jhelum, and Anchar Lake?” he questioned.

He pointed out several alarming challenges affecting these water bodies, including: Unchecked illegal constructions,Continuous landfilling,Severe weed infestations,Solid waste dumping

Shrinking water channels due to administrative negligence and weak enforcement

Emphasizing the ecological interconnectedness of these lakes and waterways, Altaf Dar said that selective restoration is insufficient. “Restoring one lake while neglecting others is an incomplete strategy. Damage to one water body ultimately affects all,” he warned.

He appealed to key authorities—including Chief Minister Omer Abdullah, the Lieutenant Governor of J&K, the Office of the Deputy Chief Minister, and the Lake Conservation and Management Authority—to extend the same commitment, scientific planning, and on-ground enforcement seen in the Gilsar–Khushalsar project to all other major water bodies in the Valley.

Altaf Dar cautioned that without cohesive and coordinated action, unchecked encroachments and pollution will continue to endanger Kashmir’s fragile ecosystem, potentially erasing the progress achieved over years of conservation work.

“Only a unified, science-led, and strictly enforced conservation plan can ensure the long-term protection of Kashmir’s lifeline water bodies,” he concluded.