Current Status of Wetlands in Srinagar City: Threats, Management Strategies, and Future Perspectives

 Current Status of Wetlands in Srinagar City: Threats, Management Strategies, and Future Perspectives

Aaraf Bashir

12315223

Submitted to Dr. Rahul Thapa

Lovely Professional University Phagwara Punjab

     

INTRODUCTION
Wetlands, which are permanently or occasionally covered in shallow water, are ecosystems that lie in between aquatic and terrestrial systems (Mitsch and Gosselink, 1986). They make up around 6% of the land area on Earth (Maltby, 1988). Wetlands are biologically varied and productive ecosystems (Ghermandi et al., 2008; Keddy et al., 2009). They offer a wide range of socioeconomic and ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration (Turner et al., 2000), fisheries and recreation (Keddy, 2010; Junk et al., 2013), flood control (Penatti et al., 2015), water supply (Lemly, 1994), nutrient removal (Raich and Schlesinger, 1992), maintenance and conservation of biodiversity (Mitsch and Gosselink, 2007; Whitehouse et al., 2008), and environmental restoration (Fink and Mitsch, 2007; Moreno et al., 2008). Wetlands are highly regarded by many cultures and provide a means of subsistence for rural inhabitants (Turyahabwe et al., 2013; Lamsal et al., 2015), especially in underdeveloped countries (Ghermandi et al., 2010; Maltby and Acreman, 2011). Many of the world's wetlands have historically been important to human civilizations because of their high potential for fisheries, water supply, and agricultural productivity. Despite the ecosystem's support of human livelihoods and its functions, 30 to 90 percent of the world's wetlands have been severely altered or lost (Junk et al., 2013; Reis et al., 2017). Many more wetlands are threatened or degraded as a result of urbanisation and high population pressure (Central Pollution Control Board, 2008; Bassi et al., 2014). 189 studies were examined, and the anticipated loss of wetlands in the twenty-first century was 64–71%. The extent of coastal wetlands declined by 62–63%, and the extent of inland wetlands declined by 69–75%. The twenty-first century is still seeing a decline of wetlands. Leadley et al. (2014) discovered the Wetland Extent Index and calculated that over the past 40 years, fragmentation and degradation have resulted in a ~40% drop in the coverage of both inland and coastal/marine wetland ecosystems (Figure 1). 189 studies were examined, and the anticipated loss of wetlands in the twenty-first century was 64–71%. The extent of coastal wetlands declined by 62–63%, and the extent of inland wetlands declined by 69–75%. The twenty-first century is still seeing a decline of wetlands.

Leadley et al. (2014) discovered the Wetland Extent Index and calculated that over the past 40 years, fragmentation and degradation have resulted in a ~40% drop in the coverage of both inland and coastal/marine wetland ecosystems (Figure 1)

                     FIGURE 1. Global Wetland Extent Index (Source: Leadley et al., 2014)

Wetland ecosystems are currently under extreme stress as a result of extensive land system modifications, infrastructure development, and the intensification of industrial and agricultural activities (Pramod et al., 2011; Bassi et al., 2014). This stress is demonstrated by the decline in the ecosystems' area, which has a negative impact on hydrological, economic, and ecological functions. As a result, numerous strategies and policies for wetlands management, conservation, and protection have been adopted [Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), 2006].

Abstract

Current Status of Wetlands in Srinagar City:

The city of Srinagar in the Himalayan region of Kashmir boasts an abundance of stunning lakes and attractive wetlands (Figure 2) that are situated along the floodplains of the Jhelum River, renowned for being habitats for ducks (Kaul and Pandit, 1980; Habib, 2014). In addition to drawing visitors from all over the world, the freshwater habitats found in the Kashmir Himalaya have long been important to the sociocultural life and economy of the valley (Kaul and Pandit, 1980; Pandit, 1982). According to Pandit and Qadri (1990) and Bano et al. (2018), they are an excellent source of natural resources like fish, fodder, veggies, tourism, and a range of commercially significant aquatic plants. But in recent decades, the declining quality of the water (Verma et al., 2001; Their health has been impacted (Iwanoff, 1998; Chauhan, 2010; Naja et al., 2010; Reza and Singh, 2010) by land system changes (Romshoo and Rashid, 2014; Rashid and Aneaus, 2019) and encroachment of otherwise notified wetland areas and depleting stream flows (Mitsch and Gosselink, 2000; Showqi et al., 2014; Romshoo et al., 2015).

                FIGURE 2. Location of major wetlands in the Srinagar city and its vicinity

Wetlands are now acknowledged as "wastelands" that house a range of waste products (Khan et al., 2004; Bano et al., 2018). One of the main patterns of land use change in the Kashmir valley at the moment is the growing tendency of turning agricultural fields into urban areas (Rashid and Romshoo, 2013; Rashid et al., 2017b). In addition to affecting the flow of nutrient materials, this pattern of land use change has the potential to modify the hydrological regimes and sedimentation processes, which in turn could modify the composition and functional processes of wetlands. Widespread eutrophication is the biological result of city wastewater discharges and agricultural runoff (Khan and Ansar, 2005; Badar et al., 2013a). Local populations of aquatic species have become extinct as a result of the degradation of water quality caused by the conversion of agricultural and forestry regions into built-up areas (Rather et al., 2016). Because of this, a large number of freshwater wetlands have completely disappeared or been severely impacted by human activity. It is concerning that deteriorating water quality and dwindling biodiversity would have negative social, economic, and ecological effects (Verma et al., 2001; Bassi et al., 2014). The majority of these wetlands were once buffers that soaked up floodwaters, but expansion and infrastructure development have decreased their ability to absorb water, making residents more vulnerable to floods (Romshoo et al., 2017). Since concrete surfaces have mostly taken over the drainage channels that once allowed storm water runoff to be drained away, Srinagar's central business district is frequently impacted during a typical precipitation event (Rashid and Naseem, 2008). Table 1 shows the variations in the spatial extent of wetlands and lakes in Srinagar. Between 1911 and 2004, approximately 91.2 km2 of wetland area was lost due to unplanned urbanisation, encroachments, and population pressures (Rashid and Naseem, 2008)

TABLE 1. Changes in the spatial extent of lakes and wetlands of Srinagar between 1911 and 2004 (Source: Rashid and Naseem, 2008).

Anchar Lake

At 1,583 metres above mean sea level (a.m.s.l.), Anchar is a semiurban single basin lake located between 34°07′–34°10′ N latitudes and 74°46′–74°48′ E longitudes. The lake is located in the northwest, roughly 14 kilometres from Srinagar. Between 1893 and 1894, the lake's surface area was 19.54 km\ (Lawrence, 1895). Since then, the lake's extent has significantly decreased to 6.5 km2 (Jeelani and Kaur, 2012). According to Sushil et al. (2014) and Fazili et al. (2017), the lake's current size is 4.26 km2. In addition to springs around the lake, Sindh, a tributary stream of Jhelum and Achan Nallah, maintains Anchar Lake's water supply. According to Jeelani and Kaur (2012) and Bhat et al. (2013), the lake's large catchment area is made up of a mix of residential, woodland, agricultural, and horticultural land. The lake's water quality has declined over the past few decades (Farooq et al., 2018; Table 2). Anthropogenic activities, encroachments, sewage, and the disposal of household waste, such as plastic bottles, polythene, and clothing, as well as wastewater treatment plant and hospital effluents, are the primary factors contributing to the degradation of Anchar Lake (Najar and Khan, 2012; Bhat et al., 2013; Fazili et al., 2017).

Threats to Wetlands

Wetlands are the most utilised and extensively exploited freshwater habitats for subsistence and sustainability (Molur et al., 2011). Anthropogenic pressures such as urbanisation (Farooq and Muslim, 2014), changes in land use (Fazal and Amin, 2011), and extensive encroachments (Wani and Khairkar, 2011; Kuchay and Bhat, 2014) in the catchment as well as in the wetlands itself are considered the main threats to the wetlands in Srinagar city (Rather et al., 2016). In addition, a significant contributing element to the loss of wetlands has been the natural siltation connected to the human siltation caused by deforestation in the catchment areas (Pandit and Qadri, 1990; Pandit, 1991; Shah et al., 2017; Amin and Romshoo, 2019). Drainage issues are a significant contributing factor to the disappearance of wetlands (Romshoo et al., 2017; Alam et al., 2018). Excessive macrophytic growth is the outcome of the massive sewage discharge from the catchment areas into the water bodies (Dar et al., 2014). Table 8 lists the primary factors contributing to the degradation of Srinagar's wetland.

                             TABLE 8. Threats perceived by wetlands of Srinagar city.

Management of Wetlands:

Although one of Srinagar's wetlands, Hokersar, was designated as a Conservation Reserve by the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife Protection Act (1978)1 and chosen as a Ramsar site under the Ramsar Convention on wetlands of international importance on November 8, 2005, wetland ecosystems in Srinagar are consistently viewed as isolated systems and rarely featured in management plans. The Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA), Srinagar, is primarily responsible for managing wetland ecosystems in the city. To continue receiving ecological and socioeconomic benefits from these significant freshwater ecosystems, a wetland management strategy would be necessary. According to Walters (1986), the wetland management plan would follow a range of measures for the preservation, augmentation, and management of wetland ecosystems that offer benefits and functions that support their sustainable use.

The goals of the different management process techniques should be:

• Lessening the effects of present human demands and natural processes to preserve wetlands over the long run.
• Outlawing any form of human intervention in wetland areas, especially in cases where a significant portion of the ecosystems' natural processes have already been compromised.
• Controlling influxes in accordance with water quality guidelines established by organisations to maintain wetlands' normal operations while generating revenue in an environmentally sound manner.
• Establishing buffer zones or green spaces to safeguard wetland ecosystems and prevent harmful human activity inside the defined boundaries of these ecosystems in order to restore wetlands.
• Taking care of nearby catchments and point and non-point sources of pollution in order to improve the trophic status of vulnerable wetlands

Conclusions: Worldwide, wetlands are the most diversified ecologically and economically speaking habitats. They offer significant ecological and economic functions and make up around 6% of the planet's surface. Srinagar, located in the Kashmir Valley, is home to numerous lakes and wetlands. These serve as floodwater absorption basins and are significant socioeconomic assets. They support groundwater replenishment, purification, and biodiversity preservation. The city of Srinagar's wetlands are disappearing at a startling rate, mostly as a result of human activity and climate change. The creation of floating gardens, encroachment, siltation, pollution, and urbanisation are the main dangers to the city's wetlands. In order to guarantee long-term ecological and socioeconomic advantages, wetland ecosystems must be conserved and protected using sound management practices

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