Ice Fishing Thrives in Kashmir’s Frozen Waters

Fast Summary

• Winter Conditions: SrinagarS Anchar Lake and Bandipora’s wular Lake experience sub-zero temperatures during teh 40-day winter period known as ‘Chilai Kalan,’ making morning and evening strolls arduous and fishing challenging.
• Local Fishing Practices: Abid Dar, a fisherman at Anchar Lake, practices customary shadow fishing using small wooden boats (shikaras), harpoons, reeds, and patience. His community relies on the lake for fish species like mirror carp, snow trout, water chestnuts, reeds, and lotus stems. Fishing requires navigating icy surfaces using Koranic verses to ward off perceived spells.
• Shrinking Lakes: Both lakes are shrinking due to environmental neglect and encroachment:

– Anchar Lake reduced from 19.4 sq.km. to 6.8 sq.km.
– Wular Lake decreased from 217.8 sq.km to 58 sq.km.

• Government Efforts & Challenges: A ₹386.39 crore government plan aims at rejuvenating Wular lake thru wastewater management, shoreline protection tactics, de-silting/de-weeding efforts; but implementation remains slow with ongoing threats to biodiversity and endangered fish species like kunar snow trout.
• Wular Fish Enterprise: Local women-led initiatives such as “Wular Fish for All” deliver traditional Kashmiri fish delicacies in earthen pots across districts in the region including Jammu.

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Indian Opinion Analysis

The article highlights both cultural traditions tied directly to Kashmir’s freshwater ecosystems as well as the ecological concerns threatening them due to climate change impacts or developmental encroachments since independence (esp mega post trends).. The proposed governmental intervention schemes attempt thorough rehabilitation however obvious room-clear result(widget-inclusivity gaps). With major ecologies shrinking upto ~ Below few-generation