NGT issues urgent notice over ‘dying’ Manasbal Lake: Why 14 Jammu and Kashmir villages are under scanner

Taking note of the submissions, the NGT issued notice to all respondents and asked them to identify the sources of pollutant and sewage discharge. (Image enhanced using AI)

NGT’s directions

• The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee (J&KPCC) were directed to ascertain the current status of water quality in the Manasbal Wetland.
• Taking note of the submissions, the NGT issued notice to all respondents.
• Identify the sources of pollutant and sewage discharge.
• Submit the status and action taken report at least one week before the next date of hearing, April 22.
• The applicant is directed to serve the respondents and file an affidavit of service at least one week before the next date of hearing.

Allegations of sewage discharge

• At the heart of the petition is the allegation that untreated domestic sewage from nearly 14 villages is being discharged into the Manasbal Wetland through the Lar Canal in Ganderbal district.
• The applicant contended that the continuous inflow of raw sewage has severely compromised the water quality of the wetland and threatens its long-term ecological sustainability.
• Advocate Rahul Choudhary, appearing for the applicant argued that the situation reflects a systemic failure of governance.
• The counsel submitted that despite Manasbal’s recognised ecological importance, basic safeguards such as functional sewage treatment infrastructure remain either incomplete or ineffective.
• Photographs placed on record were cited to show visible sewage flow into the wetland, strengthening the claim of ongoing pollution.

Protected status

• Manasbal Lake, often described as one of Kashmir’s pristine freshwater bodies, plays a vital role in local ecology, fisheries, tourism, and groundwater recharge.
• The NGT was informed that Manasbal Wetland is a notified wetland under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, and figures in the official list of Wetlands Outside Forest and Wildlife Protected Areas in Jammu and Kashmir.
• It is also included in the National Wetland Atlas, underscoring its ecological and hydrological significance.
• The applicant argued that, given this protected status, the continued discharge of untreated sewage amounts not only to environmental degradation but also to a clear violation of statutory obligations imposed on the authorities.

Scientific evidence of ecological degradation

• To substantiate the environmental impact, reliance was placed on a scientific study titled “Current Status of Macrophyte Diversity and Distribution in Manasbal Lake, Kashmir, India.”
• The study highlights rapid proliferation of aquatic vegetation, attributing it to nutrient enrichment caused by domestic sewage, solid waste, and agricultural runoff.
• The report warns that such eutrophication leads to drastic changes in species composition and lake ecology.
• It notes that “increasing macrophyte vegetation shows that lake water is receiving nutrients, which aids in the abundant growth of macrophytes,” a development that scientists consider a clear indicator of declining water quality and ecological stress.
• The study further cautions that continued nutrient loading could permanently alter the lake’s natural character, making conservation and restoration far more difficult if timely action is not taken.

Incomplete sewage infrastructure, administrative gaps

• The applicant also referred to a newspaper report titled “Manasbal Lake’s Environmental Crisis Demands Immediate Action,” which paints a troubling picture of delayed infrastructure and weak institutional oversight.
• According to the report, a sewage treatment plant project launched nearly a decade ago remains incomplete, even as untreated sewage continues to enter the lake.
• The report stresses that while “substantial progress has been made,” the failure to operationalise the facility has rendered the investment ineffective.
• It also highlights the absence of a permanent chief executive officer in the Manasbal Development Authority, arguing that interim administrative arrangements have hampered coordinated conservation efforts.
• Special concern was raised about the Kondabal area, one of the settlements along the lake’s periphery, where unregulated construction, lack of sanitation facilities, and direct discharge of domestic waste are allegedly aggravating the lake’s degradation.

Supreme Court directions

• Placing the issue in a broader legal context, the applicant relied on a Supreme Court judgment dated February 8, 2017, in M K Balakrishnan & Others v. Union of India, which mandates strict protection of all identified wetlands across the country.
• It was argued that since Manasbal is an identified and notified wetland, the authorities are under a constitutional and statutory duty to prevent pollution and ecological damage.
• Failure to do so, the counsel for the applicant submitted, undermines not only environmental law but also the right of future generations to a clean and healthy environment.