Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Fresh water quality tests conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board, New Delhi, have revealed alarming levels of pollution in Manasbal Lake, a key source of drinking water for nearly 50,000 to 60,000 residents of Ganderbal and Bandipora districts, intensifying concerns over public health and environmental degradation in one of Kashmir’s most important freshwater bodies.
The water analysis was carried out on the directions of the National Green Tribunal during the hearing of a petition filed by Kashmir-based RTI activist Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat, who has been seeking judicial intervention over the deteriorating condition of the lake for an extended period. The CPCB findings, placed before the Tribunal, reportedly indicate heavy pollution in the water body, raising serious questions about the quality of water being supplied to thousands of consumers who depend on it for daily drinking and domestic use.
During the latest hearing, counsel representing the Jammu and Kashmir Government sought additional time to file a formal response to the CPCB report, following which the Tribunal deferred further proceedings to allow the administration to examine the findings and prepare its submission.
The matter is now expected to be decided by the National Green Tribunal after considering the government’s reply alongside the detailed pollution assessment submitted by the Central Pollution Control Board, with the next hearing likely to focus on remedial measures and accountability for the lake’s deteriorating condition.
Environmental activists have repeatedly expressed concern over untreated sewage discharge, unchecked encroachments along the lake’s periphery and unregulated human activity contributing to the steady ecological degradation of Manasbal Lake, which has long been regarded as one of Kashmir’s ecologically significant water bodies alongside Dal and Wular lakes.
Activists have called for urgent remedial intervention, including a comprehensive sewage treatment mechanism, strict action against encroachments and sustained monitoring of water quality, warning that continued neglect could pose serious long-term risks to the health of thousands of residents who rely on the lake as their primary source of drinking water.
