Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir government has started demarcating the boundary of Hokarsar wetland on the outskirts of Srinagar. It was listed as a Ramsar site in 2005. There was a danger of it being captured and its environment being degraded.
Home to millions of migratory birds during the winter months, the ‘Queen of Wetlands’ spread over 13.75 square kilometers is located in Budgam district, 10 kilometers from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. The Revenue Department of the government in the Union Territory has formed a 16-member team of officials from various departments to demarcate the boundaries of the wetland and the adjacent Nambali-Narkara Reserve.
A senior revenue commissioner of Budgam district, under whose jurisdiction this wetland falls, has asked the team to conduct a field survey and clearly mark the boundaries of the wetland. This wetland is one of the most protected ecologically and bio-diverse habitats, but its soil is at risk of encroachment and mining.
Led by a Range Officer from the Forest Department, the team will include officials from the Revenue and Forest Departments who will submit their report to ACR Budgam for the future protection of the wetland. Officials said the demarcation process will include revenue record authentication, boundary verification, geo-referencing, demarcation of wetland area, and removal of anomalies in land ownership records to ensure that the wetland is protected from encroachment and unregulated activities.
The first demarcation of the wetland was done in 1935 and it was notified in 1946. Social and environmental activists have alleged that due to encroachment and poor conditions, the wetland has shrunk from 13 sq km to about 10 sq km. However, officials deny encroachment and claim that steps have been taken to protect and preserve it.
According to the Ramsar website, Hokarsar is a natural perennial wetland adjacent to the Jhelum Basin. It is home to the remaining reedbeds of Kashmir and home to 68 waterbird species such as Large Egret, Great Crested Grebe, Little Cormorant, Common Shelduck, Tufted Duck and the endangered White-eyed Pochard from Siberia, China, Central Asia and Northern Europe.
The website describes the wetland as an important source of food, spawning ground and nursery for fish, and also provides food and breeding ground for a variety of water birds. Its characteristic marsh flora includes Typha, Phragmites, Eleocharis, Trapa and Nymphoid species, which range from shallow to open water aquatic plants.
It said that potential threats include encroachment from construction of houses, scattered garbage and demand to expand tourist facilities. A few years ago, the Jammu and Kashmir government had built a water inlet system to maintain the water level in the wetland to sustain migratory birds and other animals and plants. But the Environment Policy Group, a civil society group, recently spoke to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah about draining water from the wetland for paddy cultivation and other problems related to the wetland.
EPG convenor Faiz Bakshi said, ‘Hokarsar wetland is facing serious challenges despite a lot of money being spent on building inlet and outlet gates to regulate the required water level. The wetland faces serious challenges in restoration, which could impact its ability to host migratory birds. This may disrupt the essential ecological cycle. Soil is being excavated illegally in the wetland, which will threaten the habitat of migratory birds. The group had appealed to the Jammu and Kashmir government to take immediate action against the mismanagement and degradation of wetlands in Jammu and Kashmir.