Editorial photo #13611175 Lifestyle and Leisure

Daily Life In Kashmir

Men fish on a jetty on the banks of Dal Lake during early morning in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2026. Dal Lake, a prominent tourist destination in Kashmir, faces significant ecological challenges, with tens of millions of liters of sewage entering the lake daily, along with approximately 80,000 tonnes of silt annually and waste from nearby settlements and houseboats. Increased nitrogen and phosphorus levels contribute to aggressive weed growth and reduced oxygen levels, impacting the lake's ecosystem. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India reports that nearly 74 percent of Kashmir's lakes have either vanished or are shrinking, with 518 out of 697 water bodies affected. This includes 315 that have disappeared and 203 that have reduced in size, resulting in a loss of 2,851 hectares since 1967 due to factors such as climate change and encroachments. (Photo by Firdous Nazir/NurPhoto)