Why Kashmir’s lakes are vanishing | Dal, Wular, & Anchar under threat

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, host Gowhar Geelani leads a discussion on the disappearance and shrinking of Kashmir’s lakes and wetlands, following a recent CAG report that revealed more than 500 lakes in Jammu and Kashmir have either vanished or significantly receded. The panel examines the environmental, political, and social dimensions of Kashmir’s ecological crisis—from shrinking water bodies like Dal Lake, Wular Lake, and Anchar Lake to glacier melt, overtourism, sewage dumping, encroachments, biodiversity loss, and failures in environmental governance. Experts further debate the role of media, civil society, policymakers, and younger generations in preserving Kashmir’s wetlands and water bodies before irreversible damage is done. Chapters: 01:30 | CAG report & disappearing lakes in Kashmir 04:30 | Glacier melt, carbon footprint & climate change 05:41 | Cloud burst 06:52 | Is Kashmir’s media ignoring the environment? 11:24 | Biodiversity, fish deaths, & lake ecosystem damage 14:16 | Tourism, houseboats, & encroachment debate 16:44 | Civil society, mosques, & environmental responsibility 20:05 | Anchar Lake turned landfill crisis 23:16 | Government failures & fragmented environmental governance 27:25 | Wetlands as Kashmir’s “natural kidneys” 29:20 | Why environmental journalism matters 31:34 | What can the younger generation do? 33:11 | Solutions: Preserve, conserve & revive 37:52 | Final thoughts from the panel Perfect for: Students of environmental studies, political science, and public policy Researchers studying climate change, Himalayan ecology, and wetlands Journalists covering Kashmir, environment, and sustainability Anyone interested in climate change, biodiversity, and ecological conservation in India Credits: Host: Gowhar Geelani Camera: Adil Abass and Idrees Abbas Editing: Razal Pareed Producers: Mridula Vijayarangakumar and Kavya Pradeep M #Kashmir #DalLake #ClimateChange #WularLake #EcologicalCrisis #Environment #Wetlands #Srinagar #KashmirNews #FrontlineConversations #ClimateEmergency #Pollution #WaterCrisis #Himalayas #LakeConservation If you found this discussion insightful, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to Frontline for more in-depth conversations. Subscribe to Frontline: https://frontline.thehindu.com/online... Follow us on: Facebook - / frontlineindia Twitter - / frontline_india Instagram - / frontline.magazine LinkedIn - / frontline-magazine-b12921295