Srinagar, May 25, KNT: Fresh evidence of environmental degradation has surfaced around the historic Brari Nambal lagoon in Srinagar, where large quantities of construction debris, scrap material and waste appear to have been dumped along portions of the water body, raising serious concerns over alleged encroachment and gradual land reclamation.
Reports from Baba Demb and adjoining areas show mounds of broken bricks, timber waste, demolition material and garbage lying along the lagoon margins, with some stretches appearing heavily disturbed.
Concerned citizens alleged that such dumping is no longer confined to isolated pockets but has become a recurring pattern across areas surrounding Brari Nambal, including Baba Demb, Babapora and Khayam.
Locals claimed that debris from nearby construction activity, commercial establishments and scrap-related activity was allegedly being deposited near the water body, raising fears that sections of the lagoon are being slowly choked and converted into usable land.
Brari Nambal: Srinagar’s Historic Lagoon Under Threat
• Historic Water Body: Brari Nambal, also known as Baba Demb lagoon, is one of Srinagar’s historic freshwater lagoons and an important component of the city’s traditional water network.
• Historic Link: The lagoon was historically connected through the Nallah Mar canal system, built during the reign of Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin, serving transport, drainage and flood-management functions.
• Ecological Role: Brari Nambal functions as a natural water reservoir and forms part of Srinagar’s fragile hydrological system linked with Dal Lake and adjoining wetlands.
• Major Decline: Environmental degradation accelerated after Nallah Mar was filled and converted into a road in the 1970s, disrupting natural water circulation and drainage.
• Present Threats: The lagoon today faces multiple pressures including alleged encroachments, sewage inflow, garbage dumping, weed infestation, shrinking water spread and land reclamation concerns.
• Sensitive Zones: Areas around Baba Demb, Babapora and Khayam have repeatedly drawn environmental concern over dumping and pressure on lagoon margins.
• Why It Matters: Environmental experts warn that continued degradation of Brari Nambal not only threatens heritage and biodiversity but may also weaken Srinagar’s broader flood and water-management system.
• Conservation Demand: Environmental groups and residents have repeatedly sought stronger intervention by civic and conservation authorities to restore and protect the historic lagoon.
“This is not ordinary littering. The lagoon is being buried bit by bit,” a local told the news agency Kashmir News Trust while expressing concern over the visible accumulation of waste.
Brari Nambal, historically linked to Srinagar’s old aquatic network and once connected through the Nallah Mar canal system, has already suffered decades of ecological decline due to pollution, shrinking water spread and disrupted drainage.
Environmental observers warned that unchecked dumping and alleged reclamation around wetlands and lagoons could accelerate ecological collapse, damage biodiversity and further weaken Srinagar’s fragile water system.
The latest situation has renewed questions over monitoring and enforcement in protected and environmentally sensitive zones surrounding Brari Nambal.
Concerned citizens demanded immediate intervention by the concerned agencies and district administration to identify those responsible for illegal dumping, remove accumulated waste and prevent further encroachment, if confirmed. [KNT]
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