Kashmir’s Water Bodies: Lives, Weeds, and Pollution

August 28, 2014 | Pulitzer Center

Reana Thomas

A Kashmiri woman starts her day early on Dal Lake in Srinagar. Both men and women may help with deweeding the outer banks of Dal Lake to make a clean appearance for tourists. Image by Reana Thomas. Kashmir, 2014.

A sign for the houseboat Victoria Palace along the banks of Dal Lake calls for the citizens of Srinagar to keep the waterways clean. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

Native and invasive vegetation cover Wular Lake often making it difficult to tell where the lake actually begins. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

In the winter, water chestnuts growing in Wular Lake provide many communities with a source of income. The plant which they come from may suffer from the presence of invasive aquatic plant species like alligator weed. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

A young Kashmiri boy collects water from the northern side of Wular Lake. Even though the lake is polluted, communities living there still depend on it for drinking water. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

Nymphoides, or small lily plants, are hung on trees to dry. They are harvested by men and women living around Wular Lake and used to feed the cattle. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

Flowering alligator weed is capable of spreading far across Wular Lake and many of Kashmir’s other water bodies. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

Dead cattle flow through the River Jhelum and settle in the middle of Wular Lake. The cattle decompose in the lake and make the risk of water-borne disease even higher. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

One of the 31 settlements around Wular Lake sits tucked inside the side of the Himalaya mountains. The clear patch of water reveals the flow of the River Jhelum while the remainder of the lake is nearly covered by floating plant species. Most of the people around the lake live below the poverty line. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

What used to be open water 100 years ago has been encroached on by people living around Wular Lake. The lake area was converted into rice paddies and filled with trees. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

The dreadful conditions of the lakes near the city of Srinagar contribute to the worsening ecology of Wular Lake. Plastic and other trash line the banks of this area of Nigeen Lake. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

A Muslim woman prays in one of Kashmir’s many peaceful public gardens. Islam promotes protecting nature, but globalization and sustaining a large population may overrun the natural beauty. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

Kashmir is coined by the government as the land of infinite beauty. The picturesque landscape with lakes and mountains that surround bustling cities and towns may quickly diminish if not managed properly. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

Looking through a fence from Badam Vaer, or Almond Alcove, in Srinagar, one can see that a large snaking patch of alligator weed has grown on Nigeen Lake. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

A Kashmiri woman collects small lilies in Mansbal Lake as fodder for cattle. Many people depend on the vegetation and other resources the lakes provide. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

The base of a small bridge across the River Jhelum in Sringar is covered by invasive plant species competing with one another. If the plant continues to grow, it will block a passageway for small boats. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

The often crowded roads in the capital city of Srinagar might be an indicator of just how crowded the waterways in Kashmir may become in the near future. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

Flowering alligator weeds surround the water entrance to this shop and also block boats from entering the area. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

A flower-seller in his shikara on the waters of Nigeen Lake smiles at potential customers. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

A sign for Nigeen Lake sits at the bottom of Nigeen. Environmentalists and citizens alike hope that Kashmir—the land of infinite beauty—does not become a mere memory. Image by Reana Thomas. India, 2014.

Kashmir’s many water bodies support the lives of millions of people who use them for drinking water, agriculture, retail, and tourism. For many, they are considered home.

The morning markets on these lakes are vibrant in the summers with fresh vegetables and flowers. Shikaras (or flat boats) travel up and down the River Jhelum selling, buying, and trading. Women wash their clothes and dishes using the glacial streams that flow from the surrounding Himalayas.

The extensive use of these natural resources may also be the cause of their downfall.