Lotus blooms return to Wular lake after decades

Srinagar, July 10: Wular lake located in Bandipora, some 67 km from Srinagar and around the Harmukh mountains, is once again seeing blossom of lotuses after 30 years.

As part of the restoration efforts, the Wular Conservation and Management Authority has so far cleared around 79 lakh cubic meters of silt from the lake — a crucial step in reviving its ecosystem.

According to officials previously involved in the project, the next phase includes building retention basins along key streams to stop further waste and silt from flowing into the lake, aiming to protect the progress made so far.

The revival of Wular Lake came almost unexpectedly. A key part of the project involved dredging out the thick layers of silt that had built up over the years. Slowly but surely, the effort began to show results — last year, for the first time in decades, lotus plants started to reappear.

Speaking to Indian Express zonal officer-Mudasir Ahmad at WUCMA, said that this year turned good and further added that they’re hopeful for a fuller revival of the lake’s floral life.