Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Mar 30: Government today said it has started a detailed survey and mapping of all wetlands above one hectare in Jammu and Kashmir using remote sensing data, followed by extensive ground-truthing and boundary demarcation in coordination with the Revenue, Wildlife and Territorial Forest Departments.
“During the exercise, 170 GIS-based wetland boundaries have been corrected and uploaded in Keyhole Markup Language (KML) format on the National Wetland Portal, strengthening legal protection and transparency,” it said.
The Government said brief documents for six priority wetlands – Ahansar-Waskursar Wetland Complex, Sanasar Lake, Khushalsar & Gilsar Lake Complex, Anchar & Rakh-i-Kujar Complex, Manasbal Lake and Narkara – have been prepared. Of these, four have been submitted to the J&K Wetland Authority for notification, while two – Manasbal Lake and Narkara – are under technical examination.
It said the scientific mapping, demarcation and documentation exercise will pave the way for formal notification, regulation and long-term management of wetlands across Jammu and Kashmir.
Replying to a question by MLA Ali Mohammad Sagar in the Assembly, the Government said there are 1,810 identified water bodies in the Union Territory, including Dal Lake, Anchar Lake, Wular Lake, Khushalsar and Hokersar. Of these, 554 water bodies have an area of more than one hectare, while 1,256 are less than one hectare.
The Government said several measures are being undertaken for conservation and management of notified wetlands and water bodies, adding that five sites have been designated as Ramsar Sites of international importance.
Major conservation measures include de-weeding of wetlands, strengthening and construction of embankments, restoration of hydrological channels, development of patrolling infrastructure, installation of trash barriers and regular clearance of excessive aquatic vegetation.
To address dumping of solid waste in and around Wular Lake and improve its ecological health, the Wular Conservation and Management Authority (WUCMA) has taken measures including closure of dumping sites in close proximity to the lake, solid waste management initiatives, awareness campaigns, boundary demarcation, lake restoration through dredging, willow removal and water quality monitoring.
Other steps to protect water bodies from pollution and environmental degradation include implementation of soil and moisture conservation works to reduce soil erosion, along with afforestation measures, the government added.
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