National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) on Tuesday shared photographs of two main freshwater lakes in Kashmir Valley that present a big decline. This image of Kashmir’s Wular and Dal lake was captured by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 satellite tv for pc on June 23, 2020. Wanmei Liang took the {photograph} for NASA Earth Observatory utilizing Landsat information from the US Geological Survey. Emily Cassidy wrote a report that explains the causes behind the shrinking lakes of Kashmir.
The picture reveals two water our bodies. The bigger water physique is Wular Lake, which is on the left aspect of the picture. It is the most important freshwater lake in India and one of many largest in Asia. The lake is a part of the Jhelum River and gives freshwater and fish to the individuals dwelling close by. The lake has a number of wetlands round it which can be house to migratory birds, akin to geese, shorebirds, geese, and cranes. The lake is a “wetland of international importance” in response to Ramsar International, which gave it this designation in 1990.
The smaller one is Dal, which lies in the course of Srinagar, the valley’s largest metropolis. The lake attracts vacationers with its home boats, markets, and marshes that float on the water. Around the lake, there are terraced gardens with fountains and varied vegetation.
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Reasons Behind Wular Lake’s Shrinking
Eutrophication
The report says that inflow of sediment and vitamins into the lake of over the previous few many years has contributed to fast progress in Algae and aquatic vegetation. The report cites Eutrophication, a course of the place natural and mineral vitamins supporting an ample aquatic plants, which within the strategy of decaying depletes the oxygen provide.
Urbanisation
According to the report, the conversion of forests into city areas is a significant trigger behind the change in water high quality. Discharge of heavy sediment, nutrient masses and untreated sewage into the lake has equally contributed within the shrinking. “Researchers in India used water samples and data from Landsat satellites to assess the biological health of the lake. They found that about 57 percent of Wular Lake was eutrophic in 2018,” the report mentions.
The report states that a few of brilliant inexperienced space on the japanese aspect of Wular lake which was open water has now changed into nutrient-rich sediment and aquatic vegetation have crammed in elements of the lake and contributed to its shrinking in latest many years.
Reason Behind Dal Lake’s Area Decline
The smaller Dal Lake has suffered an identical destiny in response to land cowl change. Researchers in Srinagar discovered that land conversion to city growth within the basin had worsened the lake’s water high quality and contributed to its lowered dimension.
Percent Of Area Already Shrunk
A 2022 analysis utilizing information from the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) LISS-IV instrument—discovered that Wular Lake’s open water space had shrunk in dimension by about one-quarter between 2008 and 2019. They discovered that between 1980 and 2018, Srinagar’s well-known Dal lake shrunk in space by 25 p.c
