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Management Planning for Wular Lake, Kashmir
This project focuses on Wular Lake, one of the largest fresh water lakes in Asia. Rapid degradation of Wular Lake has an enormous impact on community health and livelihoods. This prompted the state government to contract Wetlands International and her partners (WISA) to develop an integrated management plan for restoration of the lake and its catchment.
Project Description:
The management plan was based on a rapid rapid inventorization and assessment of hydrological, ecological, socioeconomic and institutional features of the lake and its surrounding catchments.
The resulting plan highlighted the role of Wular and its associated marshes in regulating hydrological regimes, supporting rich biodiversity and livelihoods in the entire Kashmir Valley.
It also emphasized the enhanced vulnerability of the entire valley due to changing water regimes caused by climate change and loss of wetlands having a natural capacity to moderate flows. The plan proposes a series of measures within the lake and its catchments to ensure rejuventation of the wetland and livelihood security of associated communties. Restoration will lead to increased resilience of the 100.000 people that live along the lake margins. Millions of people that live downstream in the Kashmir valley will gain relief from future floods and benefit from enhanced access to water in times of extreme droughts.
Project Partners:
Government of Jammu and Kashmir