Overview
- The CAG report, published Thursday, says 518 of 697 natural lakes in Jammu and Kashmir have vanished or shrunk since 1967, a net loss of 2,851.26 hectares.
- Auditors used Google Earth Pro with official remote‑sensing data and confirmed in November 2022 that several mapped lakes had dried, with former beds now under vegetation, plantations or roads.
- Dal Lake’s open water dropped 10.15% between 2007 and 2020, while floating gardens, cropland and built‑up areas expanded inside the lake footprint.
- The audit cites weak governance as a cause, noting conservation programs focus on only six lakes, many departments lack plans or technical staff, and research findings on Dal were not used by the lakes authority.
- Despite more than Rs 45 crore spent on sewage plants, incomplete sewer networks left wastewater flowing into lakes, prompting calls for a dedicated lake law, a single authority, expert staffing and higher funding.