Introduction
Conservationist Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo has spent over two decades reversing the decline of Kashmir’s freshwater ecosystems. Through the Nigeen Lake Conservation Organisation (NLCO) and its flagship Mission Ehsaas—a word meaning “awareness” or “realization” in Urdu and Kashmiri—he has mobilized residents, volunteers, and government agencies to restore degraded water bodies. His work has become a model for community-led conservation, showing how partnerships between communities and authorities can revive polluted and encroached lakes and wetlands.
The Crisis: Disappearing Lakes
Nearly half of the 697 lakes recorded across Jammu and Kashmir in the 1960s have disappeared or shrunk, reflecting decades of pollution, encroachment, and unplanned urbanization. According to a recent study, 315 lakes have vanished entirely, while another 203 have shrunk. This ecological loss threatens the region’s biodiversity, agriculture, tourism, and water security. Wetlands such as Haigam and Hokersar, both recognized under the Ramsar Convention, are under increasing pressure.
A Conversation with Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo
In an in-person interview with Mongabay, conducted in Urdu and translated into English, Wangnoo discussed his conservation journey, the significance of Kashmir’s wetlands, and his optimism for the future. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Early Inspiration and Community Action
Wangnoo, a businessman-turned-conservationist, returned to Kashmir from Delhi in the early 2000s seeking peace on a houseboat on Nigeen Lake. Instead, he was shocked to find the lake in shambles—polythene bags, dead animals, and illegal encroachments where people were filling and fencing off sections of the water body. “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,” he recalls. Together, they cleaned the lake in phases. Today, he says, “I can challenge anybody to show me a single polythene floating in Nigeen. That is the power of community participation.”
Nigeen Lake convinced him that community-led conservation could succeed. “For me, Nigeen remains proof that ordinary people can bring extraordinary change.”
The Importance of Wetlands
Kashmir sits like a bowl surrounded by mountains, fed by glaciers, streams, and catchment areas. Its lakes and wetlands include Dal Lake, Nigeen, Khushalsar, and Gilsar. “There was a time when people used to say, ‘If there is paradise on Earth, it is here,’” Wangnoo says. These water bodies form the foundation of the region’s environment and economy—supporting tourism, horticulture, and agriculture. Wetlands act as natural sponges, regulating floods and recharging groundwater. The 2014 floods, the worst in over a century, 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,” Wangnoo emphasizes. “Unfortunately, many people see them as vacant land rather than as living systems.”
Threats and Restoration Success
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. “Conservation should rise above politics. Lakes and wetlands belong to everybody,” says Wangnoo. The Khushalsar-Gilsar wetland system in Srinagar exemplifies what restoration can achieve. When Mission Ehsaas began, skeptics laughed. “I told them: Give me a week and don’t disturb me. Let our work speak.” Within days, a blocked navigation channel was reopened. Over the next 100 days, nearly 1,000 truckloads of waste and muck were removed, and water that had been stagnant for decades began flowing again. Today, Wangnoo points to restored springs where he can drink directly, and the return of cleaner lakes like Nigeen, Khushalsar, and Gilsar.
Lessons for the Future
Wangnoo insists that conservation does not require enormous budgets. NLCO relies on its own resources and community involvement. He runs a school with around 2,200 students where environmental awareness begins early. “Young people have a very important role. They must understand that we are gradually losing our Kashmir,” he says. Climate change is altering rainfall patterns, melting glaciers, and adding pressure to ecosystems, but local action can make a difference. “That is where Ehsaas comes in—a sense of awareness and realization.” He believes that when ownership and partnership exist among communities, stakeholders, and governments, anything is possible. “Conservation is not a one-time effort. The biggest challenge is not just restoring ecosystems but sustaining them.”
Wangnoo remains hopeful: “I believe Kashmir can reclaim much of its lost ecological heritage, but only if we develop a sense of responsibility toward nature.”