Bringing Kashmir’s lakes back to life
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Meillä viihdut kuin kotona hotelin palveluilla. Hotel Mats Espoon matin kylässä ajattomasti tyyliäs, aina nykyaikainen. The Documentary, home of the best documentaries from the BBC World Service.
Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service. People fixing people fixing the world.
I'm your host Myra Anubi and the person who is annoyingly optimistic about a better future. So today I'm taking you to India to meet people who are working hard to stop their legs from disappearing. I used to live quite close to a lake and it was one of the best experiences just being able to go over and sit by its shores and occasionally we would see hippos sneak out of the water and also being able to catch the sun setting on its horizon. The lake was always inviting. It was a place where family and friends would come together to meet, but also it was a lifeline for many people who fished and fed from it. So I'm sad because around the world lakes are disappearing. I mean, just looking at this Lake Ngami in Botswana, Lake Mead in the US, Mali, Bolivia, rising temperatures, pollution, rapid urbanization and encroachment.
These are just some of the many reasons why lakes are under enormous pressure. But this show is all about solutions and our search today is taking us to India where our reporter, Chavi Sachdev, has visited two lakes in the northern state of Kashmir to see how they've turned a corner. I've got Chavi on the line. Chavi, before we start, I mean Kashmir it's known for many things, including having some of the largest freshwater lakes in the world, right?
It is. It's also unfortunately known for its place in political and international conflict, but it is very, very beautiful and it has something like seven hundred lakes surrounded by mountains, which is why it's also known as Paradise on Earth. Earlier this year though, I also saw alarming headlines and one of them said that more than five hundred lakes in the state are set to disappear.
Five hundred is so
many. I mean Xavi, what's happening? Well, uh let me give you an example. Wooler, once the largest freshwater lake in Asia, it's far northwest in India towards the Pakistan border, has been not only the lifeline for the thirty villages around it, it's also an important flood basin for the entire state. But in nineteen ninety two, there were massive floods in the region. When the floodwaters receded, the basin was left with a lot of additional silt or sediment, and everything, from fish to flowers were affected, and when authorities mapped the catchment areas, they found that the lake had lost an estimated thirty percent of its capacity.
I mean that sounds really bad, but the big question is how then do you save a dying lake, Chavi?
Well, it takes a lot of work. And in Wooler they have been doing a lot to bring the lake back to life. And Myra there's a very special flower involved, so I had to go see for myself.
L'Esprit di Vincent.
I've just gotten in a small wooden boat with a wide cushion seat and a canopy. Our boatman or Shikara Vala is nineteen year old Fessel and he's alternating between using the motor and skillfully rowing with the traditional heart-shaped paddle.
It used to be really nice here. There was a lot of water and we harvested lotuses, water chestnuts, and even got fodder for our cows.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–5:52
2
Why are Kashmir’s lakes like Wular and Dal under threat?
5:52–9:24
3
How did the 1992 flood change the fate of Wular Lake?
9:24–11:40
4
Why are lotus flowers so vital to Kashmiri culture and the local economy?
11:40–14:23
5
What actions did the Wukma authority take to revive the lake?
14:23–17:48
6
How are lake weeds turned into organic fertilizer and why does it matter?
17:48–21:23
7
How are farmers adopting the bio‑fertiliser and what benefits are they seeing?
21:23–24:57
8
What remaining challenges could still jeopardise the lake’s recovery?
24:57–25:24