Agro chemical overuse, social rituals threaten Surinsar-Mansar lake

3 May 2023

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Srinagar, May 3: Ritual first haircuts and agriculture-over use of fertilizer as well as poisonous pesticides reaching the famous Surinsar-Mansar Lake as runoff from the fields is fast deteriorating the Lake’s water quality which in turn may affect the mass mortality of exotic carps too.

The official documents available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reads: “Agriculture-over use of fertilizer and poisonous pesticides reaches the lake as runoff from fields.”

It further reads the two times water sampling analysis reveal that during the pre- lockdown period from January-2020 that the value of the parameters are not in the preferable limits such as the value of duo decreases to a larger extend due to increases in the parameters of the Electrical Conductivity, TDS, Turbidity, Salinity, Chlorophyll.

“Both Surinsar-Mansar Lake is a famous religious tourist destination with tourists coming throughout the year for performing various religious rituals. Pilgrims arrive to perform ritual bathing ceremonies in the lake each year. Some religious sects come here to perform the ritual first haircut of their sons,” reads the official document.

The issues are mentioned in a management plan preparation and population monitoring of turtles in Surinsar-Mansar Wetland prepared by the Department of Wildlife institute of India.

“All this results in the deterioration of water quality of the Wetland, which in turn may have affected the mass mortality of exotic carps in Mansar Lake that reached its peak during the months of December-2019 till January-2020.

It says that the unplanned development in and around the wetland has telling impacts on local ecology and biodiversity, like decline of water bodies, vegetation, increase in pollution levels in land, water and air.

The report has suggested adopting holistic approaches in regional planning considering the physical components such as hydrophytes at the fringes of the lake which are majorly missing, shallow areas that are land and water buffers are mostly occupied with concrete structures specifically the embankment.

“The lotuses, water hyacinth, Typha grass like floating and submerged vegetation are primordial habitats for several migratory water birds, which have been cleared out by the exotic carps. Even all the submerged vegetation is out-placed by invasion of lantana and Ipomoea patches,” it reads.

These problems destroy the physical serenity of any wetlands and misbalance its ecological stability.

In the meantime, Wildlife research Warden Dr Samina Amin Charoo in a communiqué to Director of WildLife Institute of India Dehradun has said that she was directed to submit the draft management plan of Surinsar Mansar Wetlands as submitted at the office of chief wildlife warden.

“The standing committee of the department which has approved the draft management plan with some recommendations and modifications and the same have been incorporated by Wildlife Warden Kathua under whose jurisdiction the said wetland falls,” reads the communiqué.

“In this regard, I am further directed to convey the acceptance of the document by the department,” Charoo said.

—(KNO)