Source: The Hindu
Context
Following large-scale de-weeding and channel dredging over ~70,000 sq ft, Manasbal Lake in Jammu & Kashmir is showing clear signs of ecological recovery, marked by the return of migratory birds (many from Siberia, winter 2025–26).
About Manasbal Lake
What It Is
- Often called the “Supreme Gem of all Kashmir Lakes.” Named after the sacred Manasarovar Lake.
- The deepest natural freshwater lake in Jammu & Kashmir / the Kashmir Valley, with a maximum depth of ~43 ft (13 m).
- Roughly 3.5–5 km long, ~1–1.5 km wide; surface area ~2.81 km².
Location
- Safapora area, Ganderbal district, central J&K, ~30 km north of Srinagar.
- Encircled by four villages: Jarokbal, Kondabal, Nesbal, Gratbal.
- Bounded by the Baladar mountains (east), the Karewa plateau (north — lacustrine/loessic deposits), and the limestone-rich Ahtung hills (south).
- Managed by the Wular-Manasbal Development Authority (WMDA).
- Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) blooms densely along the periphery every July–August.
- Jharokha/Jaroka Bagh: ruins of a 17th-century fort & terraced Mughal garden built by Empress Nur Jahan (also an ancient temple, ~8th–10th c.).
- One of Kashmir’s largest natural aquatic-bird spawning grounds; supports mallards, grebes, teals, and (per the article) white-headed ducks.
- A wintering habitat on the Central Asian Flyway.
