*Urges handover of Anchar to competent authority
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Dec 16: The Nigeen Lake Conservation Organisation (NLCO) today called for the establishment of a dedicated Gilsar-Khushalsar conservation unit within the Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA), describing it as crucial for ensuring long-term, scientific restoration and management of the twin lakes.
The NLCO, which has been actively involved in the conservation of these water bodies, stressed that urban lakes such as Gilsar, Khushalsar and Anchar are not only vital ecological assets “but also function as flood buffers, repositories of cultural heritage and potential tourism lifelines for Srinagar.”
It called for sustained, scientific and transparent conservation measures to protect them.
NLCO Chairman, Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo said the proposed dedicated conservation unit within LCMA would help ensure scientific dredging, restoration of natural channels and revival of springs.
“It will also facilitate diversion of drains to sewage treatment plants, prevent encroachments through digital demarcation, and ensure regular water quality monitoring,” he said.
In its report, while highlighting the journey and outcomes of Mission Ehsaas, NLCO said the community-led initiative has demonstrated that even severely degraded urban water bodies can be revived through sustained effort, public participation and administrative cooperation.
However, it stressed that the gains achieved so far can only be safeguarded through a permanent institutional mechanism with exclusive focus, expert oversight and continuous monitoring.
NLCO said ‘Mission Ehsaas’, which began in February 2021 as a modest volunteer-driven effort to clean Khushalsar, has evolved into one of Kashmir’s most impactful environmental movements.
Within the first 100 days of the initiative, nearly 1,000 truckloads of muck, garbage and invasive weeds were removed, restoring water flow and reopening navigation routes that had remained blocked for nearly three decades, according to the organisation.
Based on the experience of Mission Ehsaas, NLCO also strongly recommended that Anchar Lake be handed over to a competent authority for focused restoration and management.
It warned that continued delays could lead to further ecological degradation and a repeat of decades of neglect.
The organisation said successive phases of the mission focused on large-scale desilting, garbage removal, revival of water circulation and restoration of traditional navigation routes, particularly on the Zadibal and Sazgaripora sides, with active participation from local residents, mohalla committees and volunteers.
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