Anchar Lake

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| name = Anchar Lake

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| location = Soura, J&K, India

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| coordinates = {{coord|34|09|N|74|47|E|display=inline,title|region:IN_type:waterbody_source:GNS-enwiki}}

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Anchar Lake ({{IPA|ur|ɑ̃ːt͡ʃɑːr}} ; {{IPA|ks|ãːt͡ʃaːr}}) ; {{literal translation|Pickle}}) is a lake located in Soura in the Srinagar district of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

Situated close to Ganderbal, the lake is connected with the famous Dal Lake via a channel, "Amir Khan Nallah," which passes through Gilsar and Khushal Sar. The lake is in a highly deteriorated condition. In case of flooding, the excessive water of the Dal is diverted here.{{cite news |title=Floods in Kashmir, Army called out|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Floods-in-Kashmir-Army-called-out/articleshow/1953072.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111110444/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-09-04/india/27796184_1_rescue-and-relief-operations-flood-control-minister-bemina |url-status=live |archive-date=11 January 2014 |work=The Times of India|date=4 Sep 2006 }}

The Shallabugh Wetland extends to include Anchar Lake, which serves as a vital water source for the interconnected wetland ecosystem. It plays a pivotal role in maintaining the balance of aquatic life and promoting environmental harmony in the region. This wetland serves as a connecting link between Anchar Lake and the Sind River.{{Cite web |url=https://kashmirlife.net/shallabugh-wetland-grows-as-eco-tourism-spot-urges-collective-conservation-338544/ |title=Shallabugh Wetland Grows as Eco-Tourism Spot, Urges Collective Conservation |website=Kashmir Life |date=18 January 2024 |access-date=2024-01-20}}

Deterioration

Once a popular tourist destination, as tourists on shikaras and houseboats used to travel here from Dal Lake, over the years it has deteriorated owing to pollution, large-scale encroachment, and illegal constructions in its surroundings.{{cite news |title=Anchar Lake near Srinagar on the verge of extinction |url=http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/158206 |publisher=Newstrack India |date=10 Apr 2010 |access-date=22 Feb 2013}} In the 1990s, when the Nallah Mar was covered to build the Mearplan highway around the western side of Dal, six-foot pipes were laid under the new road to allow Dal to continue to drain into the Anchar lake system, however, the pipes soon clogged due to waste and debris.{{cite news |date=23 May – 5 Jun 1998 |title=To save a lake: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has launched an ambitious effort to save the Dal lake in Srinagar. |url=http://www.hindu.com/fline/fl1511/15110660.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113024557/http://www.hindu.com/fline/fl1511/15110660.htm |archive-date=13 November 2012 |access-date=22 Feb 2013 |work=Frontline |publisher=Frontline |volume=15 |issue=11}}

Like the Dal Lake and Wular Lake, it is home to the Hanji community, which lives near the lake in an area called Anchar among the locals.

References

External links

[http://wikimapia.org/1502607/Anchar-Lake Anchar Lake]

Category:Lakes of Jammu and Kashmir

Category:Srinagar

Category:Water pollution in India