The lakes and wetlands of Kashmir in northwestern India have long sustained the valley’s biodiversity, agriculture, tourism and water security. But over recent decades, these freshwater ecosystems have come under increasing pressure from pollution, encroachment and rapid urbanization. A recent government audit found that nearly half (315 of the 697) of lakes recorded across Jammu and Kashmir have disappeared, while another 203 have shrunk, raising concerns about the region’s ecological health and long-term water security.

Against this backdrop, Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo has spent more than two decades trying to reverse the decline of Kashmir’s freshwater ecosystem. The businessman-turned-conservationist has become one of the leading voices for protecting Kashmir’s lakes, wetlands and springs. Through the nonprofit Nigeen Lake Conservation Organisation (NLCO) and its flagship Mission Ehsaas, he has helped mobilize residents, volunteers and government agencies around the restoration of degraded water bodies, including the Khushalsar-Gilsar wetland system, two interconnected urban lakes in the heart of Srinagar.

Conservation is not just about cleaning lakes for Wangnoo. It’s the reestablishment of a relationship between individuals and nature, a relationship he describes as Ehsaas, a word in Urdu and Kashmiri meaning “awareness” or “realization.”

During an in-person interview with Mongabay, Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo discussed his conservation journey, the significance of wetlands, the challenges facing these ecosystems such as pollution and encroachment, and his optimism for the future of these wetlands as a result of community stewardship. The following interview conducted in Urdu has been translated into English and edited for length and clarity.

Mongabay: What first drew you to conservation work, and how did your journey into protecting Kashmir’s lakes and wetlands begin?

Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo: When I returned to Kashmir from Delhi in the early 2000s, I wanted to spend a few peaceful days in a houseboat on Nigeen Lake. But when I reached there, I was shocked. The lake was completely in shambles. There were polythene bags, dead animals and parts of the lake were being illegally encroached upon, with people filling sections of the water body and fencing them off for private use.

At that time, we didn’t have an NGO or any formal structure. It was just me, my friends and the people living around Nigeen. We tried to make them understand how important the lake was for tourism, our health and our way of life. Together, we cleaned the lake in phases.

Today, I can challenge anybody to show me a single polythene floating in Nigeen. That is the power of community participation.

Mongabay: For readers who may never have visited Kashmir, how would you describe the region’s wetlands and freshwater ecosystems? What makes them special?

Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo: There was a time when people used to say, ‘If there is paradise on Earth, it is here.’ Kashmir sits like a bowl surrounded by mountains. Water from glaciers, streams and catchment areas feeds our lakes and wetlands, including Dal Lake, Nigeen Lake, Wular and Manasbal.

These water bodies are the foundation of our environment and our economy. If our environment is healthy, tourism, horticulture and agriculture will flourish. That is why I believe environmental protection should be the first priority of any government.

We are trying to bring back the Kashmir we once knew. If people from outside have never visited this place, I want them to come and experience its beauty. But we also have a responsibility to restore and protect it.

Mongabay: You have spent more than two decades working on the restoration of lakes, wetlands and springs. What changes have you witnessed during that time?

Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo: I have seen both decline and hope.

There was a time when, as schoolchildren, we could throw a coin into Dal Lake, dive down with our eyes open and retrieve it. Today, pollution and weeds have changed that reality.

But I have also seen what restoration can achieve. Look at Nigeen today and compare it with what it was in 2001. Look at Khushalsar and Gilsar before Mission Ehsaas and see how they have changed.

People have become more aware. In the past, many treated these water bodies like dustbins. Today, people think differently. They understand that these lakes are part of their lives and that protecting them is their responsibility.

Mongabay: In your view, what are the biggest threats confronting Kashmiri lakes, wetlands and other freshwater ecosystems today?

Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo: Encroachment, pollution and unplanned urbanization remain the biggest threats. Many wetlands have been illegally filled with earth and construction debris and converted into residential land. The government has to act firmly against these illegal encroachments and ensure that these water bodies are properly mapped and protected.

Conservation should rise above politics. Lakes and wetlands belong to everybody, and protecting them requires long-term planning and serious commitment.

Kashmir’s wetlands support migratory birds and act as natural sponges that help regulate floods and recharge groundwater. Several wetlands in the region, including Hokera and Wular, are recognized under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Mongabay: Why are wetlands so important from an ecological perspective? What role do they play in Kashmir’s environment?

Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo: The biggest example is what happened during the 2014 flood [the worst in more than a century, when the loss of wetlands and blocked drainage systems contributed to flooding that killed more than 284 people, affected around 2 million residents and inundated much of Srinagar]. Our wetlands are the lifelines of Kashmir. They absorb water and regulate the ecosystem, but unfortunately many of them have been lost. We have to restore our wetlands, catchment areas and navigation systems to the way they functioned four decades ago.

The drainage system in Srinagar [summer capital city of Jammu and Kashmir] also needs serious attention. We need better sewage treatment plants and improved water management. If we protect these ecosystems, we protect our agriculture, tourism and our future.

Unfortunately, many people see [wetlands] as vacant land rather than as living systems that sustain our environment and economy.

A large part of our wetlands has already been lost, and we cannot afford to lose more. Areas that were once wetlands have gradually been converted for construction and urban expansion. Development is important, but it should not come at the cost of destroying the ecosystems that protect us.

We have to revive these wetlands and preserve what remains. Otherwise, we will pay a heavy price in the future.

Mongabay: Through the Nigeen Lake Conservation Organisation, you have championed citizen-led conservation efforts. What does community stewardship mean in practice, and what kinds of activities are local people involved in?

Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo: We have always tried to lead by example. We don’t depend on outside funding. We do what we can with our own resources, and our aim has never been to take on projects worth hundreds of crores. Our objective is to demonstrate that restoration does not always require enormous budgets. It requires commitment and cooperation.

Whether it is restoring springs, cleaning lakes or improving water channels, we work with local communities and stakeholders. We want to show that government agencies and residents can work together and achieve results.

Community stewardship means making people feel that these water bodies belong to them. Once people develop that sense of ownership, conservation becomes sustainable.

Mongabay: Can you share an example where community participation made a significant difference on the ground?

Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo: Khushalsar and Gilsar are living examples. When we started Mission Ehsaas, many people laughed at us. They said, ‘We’ve seen these things before. You will take your money and disappear.’ I told them only one thing: Give me a week and don’t disturb me. Let our work speak.’

Within days, we managed to reopen part of the blocked navigation channel. People began to notice that something was actually changing. Slowly, they started believing and joining us. Over the next 100 days, nearly 1,000 truckloads of waste and muck were removed. Water that had remained stagnant for decades started flowing again.

That is the power of community participation. When people, stakeholders and the administration come together, anything and everything is possible.

Mongabay: Looking back, was there a particular moment that convinced you community-led conservation could succeed in Kashmir?

Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo: Nigeen Lake convinced me.

When we started there, many parts had been encroached upon, and the lake had become synonymous with pollution. But through the support of local people, we transformed it.

For me, Nigeen remains proof that ordinary people can bring extraordinary change.

Mongabay: Climate change is altering rainfall patterns, water availability and ecosystem dynamics across the Himalayas. How are these changes affecting Kashmir’s wetlands and water bodies?

Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo: The effects are already visible. Our glaciers are melting, weather patterns are changing and pollution and deforestation are adding to the pressure on ecosystems.

Nature has given us these resources, but it is our responsibility to protect them. We have to restore our springs, wetlands and water bodies and think seriously about the future. Climate change is a global challenge, but there is a lot that communities can do locally.

That is where Ehsaas comes in. The word came to me during a television program when I was asked what message I would give to young people. I said, ‘Ehsaas’ — a sense of awareness and realization. It must come to all of us, in communities, stakeholders and governments.

Mongabay: Sustaining conservation is often as much about people as it is about ecosystems. What have been the greatest challenges in building public support, and what role do you think young people will play in securing Kashmir’s environmental future?

Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo: The biggest challenges have been encroachments and vested interests. Land mafias have damaged many wetlands and water bodies, and there have always been people with their own interests. But I have learned that patience is important. People support change when they can see it with their own eyes.

Young people have a very important role. They must understand that we are gradually losing our Kashmir, and awareness has to begin at an early age.

I run a school with around 2,200 students, and we teach them about the environment from the beginning. Recently, we took children out to plant trees. Years from now, I want them to look at those trees and say, ‘I planted this.’

That is the spirit of Ehsaas. The entire valley has to understand that if we want to protect our tourism, horticulture and agriculture, we must first protect our environment.

Mongabay: Freshwater ecosystems around the world are under increasing pressure. What lessons from Kashmir’s restoration efforts could be applied elsewhere?

Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo: The first lesson is that intentions matter. If you work without vested interests and involve communities, people begin to understand the importance of protecting their environment.

Cleanliness and stewardship are values that can unite people. Conservation succeeds when communities feel ownership and when governments and stakeholders work together. These lessons are not limited to Kashmir. They can be applied anywhere.

We all have to work together. Policymakers, experts, communities and ordinary citizens all have something valuable to contribute.

Sometimes even a person with no technical expertise can offer ideas that make a difference. When governments take stakeholders on board and communities become partners in conservation, things change.

I have seen that happen in Khushalsar and Gilsar. I have seen administrators, local residents and volunteers come together with a shared purpose. That is what gives me hope.

Mongabay: Finally, what didn’t I ask you that you think people should know about Kashmir’s wetlands and the future of conservation?

Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo: Conservation is not a one-time effort. The biggest challenge is not just restoring ecosystems but sustaining them.

Planting one tree is not enough. You must make sure that tree survives. Cleaning one lake is not enough. You must ensure it remains clean. Restoration requires patience and continuity.

I believe Kashmir can reclaim much of its lost ecological heritage, but only if we develop a sense of responsibility toward nature. That is what Ehsaas means to me. And when that feeling exists in people, anything and everything is possible.

Banner image: Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo rows a shikara across the Khushalsar-Gilsar wetland system in Srinagar, where community-led restoration efforts have helped revive degraded waterways and reconnect historic navigation routes. Image courtesy of NLCO.

Cite this article

Hashim Quraishi (2026). Restoring Kashmir’s lakes one community at a time: Interview with Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo. Mongabay Conservation news. DOI: https://doi.org/10.66709/news-323118

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