Bandipora, Jan 8: For the second consecutive winter, the absence of snowfall has left large swathes of Wular Lake dry, dealing a severe economic blow to fishermen across Bandipora and Baramulla districts who depend on the lake for fish and water chestnuts.
The drying of the lake during the peak winter season has sharply reduced the harvest of both produce, the primary source of livelihood for nearly 30,000 families living around Wular.
“It is for the second consecutive year that peak winter has passed without snowfall, leaving almost the entire lake area dry,” said Farooq Ahmad Reshi, a fisherman from Lankreshipora village in Bandipora. “It is worse than what we saw last year.”
Dar Naseer, an executive member of the fishermen’s union, said that even during earlier harsh winters, receding water levels would still leave moisture-rich pools scattered across the lake, sustaining vegetation and aquatic life. “This time, even those pools have dried up,” he said.
Snowfall, he explained, would typically help retain moisture and keep water chestnut vegetation alive. “Now, the dry weather and constant sunshine destroy the seed entirely, making it impossible for it to revive in the next season.”
The impact on yields has been stark. “Two years ago, a fisherman could harvest 50 to 100 kilograms of chestnuts. Today, it is difficult to collect even 10 to 20 kilograms,” Reshi said.
Spread over about 27 square kilometres and supporting at least 30 villages, Wular Lake has seen widespread drying on both the Bandipora and Baramulla sides amid scant precipitation and near-zero snowfall.
Fishermen say the changing weather pattern has raised serious concerns for the future of the lake’s ecology. “The dry conditions have shrunk fish habitats and destroyed vegetation. This means tougher times ahead,” Dar said.
He warned that shallow waters and loss of cover have made fish vulnerable, even affecting breeding stock. “Fish have nowhere to hide and are being wiped out,” he said, adding that most of the catch now consists of seeds rather than mature fish.
With night temperatures dropping below zero and daytime sunshine intensifying evaporation, water chestnut vegetation has continued to wither. “Our traditional harvesting method helps rejuvenate the plant for the next season, but with the patches dry, the vegetation is dying and being eaten by birds and animals,” Dar said.
Citing estimates from SKUAST, Dar said Wular Lake typically produces around four metric tonnes of water chestnuts. “While the summer crop was relatively unaffected, in the last one-and-a-half months of winter alone, we may have lost at least two metric tonnes,” he said, estimating overall losses at 80 to 90 per cent.
Fish harvests have also plunged. “If someone earlier caught 10 kilograms of fish, today the maximum is two kilograms,” Dar said.
Beyond weather, fishermen allege long-term damage from other factors, including discharge from the Kishanganga hydropower projects into Madhumati Nallah and then into the lake. “The cold water from the tunnels alters the lake’s temperature and affects vegetation that serves as food for migratory birds and breeding cover for fish,” Dar said, also pointing to riverbed mining and pollution.
He added that fresh vegetation, which would normally sprout in October, has not appeared for nearly four years, compounding the crisis facing Kashmir’s largest freshwater lake and those who depend on it.
