Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing an alarming decline in its natural water bodies, with a significant number of lakes either disappearing or shrinking due to human-induced changes and weak conservation mechanisms, according to a performance audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
The audit reveals that out of 697 lakes across the Union Territory, 315 lakes—accounting for 45 per cent—have completely disappeared, resulting in the loss of 1,537.07 hectares of water area. Additionally, 203 lakes (29 per cent) have witnessed a reduction in their size, losing 1,314.19 hectares. In total, 518 lakes, or nearly 74 per cent of the total, have either vanished or degraded, leading to a cumulative loss of 2,851.26 hectares of water resources.
The report attributes this large-scale decline primarily to changes in land use within lakes and their catchment areas. Rapid urbanisation, agricultural expansion, encroachments, and conversion of lakebeds into other land uses have significantly reduced open water areas. Remote sensing analysis conducted for the period 2014 to 2020 on 63 sampled lakes confirmed a steady decline in water spread, with areas being overtaken by built-up land, horticulture, pasture, and fallow land.
The disappearance of lakes spans across administrative jurisdictions. Of the 315 vanished lakes, 80 were under the Forest Department, while a majority of 235 lakes fell under the Revenue and Agriculture Departments, highlighting the widespread nature of the problem and lack of coordinated oversight.
Further validation through geo-spatial analysis using Google Earth Pro and field verification conducted in November 2022 revealed that several lakes have either dried up or are no longer visible. Among the sampled lakes, seven were found to have almost disappeared. The audit also noted significant land use changes in Khushal Sar Lake and degradation and shrinkage in Anchar Lake.
Despite the ecological and socio-economic importance of these water bodies, the audit points to fragmented governance as a key issue. The administrative control of lakes in J&K is spread across five departments—Forest, Revenue, Agriculture, Housing & Urban Development, and Tourism—resulting in lack of accountability and coordination. While six major lakes, including Dal Lake, Wular Lake and Manasbal Lake, were transferred to development authorities between 1997 and 2012, the audit found serious shortcomings in the implementation of conservation programmes.
In Dal Lake, issues such as malfunctioning sewage treatment plants (STPs), improper de-weeding, inadequate waste management, and lack of monitoring have hindered restoration efforts. Similarly, conservation initiatives for Wular Lake suffered due to the absence of functional monitoring bodies and delays in decision-making.
The report also highlights the absence of a centralized and specialized authority with a clear legal mandate for lake conservation. This has led to diffused responsibilities, weak institutional arrangements, and lack of effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. In several cases, including Surinsar and Mansar lakes, authorities lacked proper legal frameworks and failed to demarcate boundaries, leaving these water bodies vulnerable to encroachments.
Environmental consequences of this decline are severe. The disappearance and shrinkage of lakes have resulted in loss of biodiversity, disruption of ecological balance, and alteration of carbon, nutrient, and water cycles. The audit also links the degradation of lakes to increased flood vulnerability, noting that these water bodies act as natural buffers. The devastating 2014 Jammu and Kashmir floods has been partly attributed to changes in land use and loss of lake capacity.
The report recommends the establishment of a centralized regulatory authority equipped with adequate resources to ensure coordinated and accountable conservation efforts. It also calls for strict enforcement of wetland conservation rules, proper sewage treatment infrastructure, boundary demarcation, and time-bound implementation of lake management programmes.
With Jammu and Kashmir endowed with 697 natural lakes of immense ecological and socio-economic significance, the findings serve as a wake-up call for authorities to take urgent and sustained action to protect these critical water resources before further irreversible damage occurs.