Warming climate, pollution and unplanned growth push Kashmir’s lakes toward disappearance

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Every morning, long, narrow wooden boats called shikaras move elegantly across expansive Dal Lake in a postcard-perfect scene framed by the Himalayan mountains.

But all is not perfect in one of South Asia’s best-known lakes. Pollution from local buildings, invasive plant species that threaten biodiversity and declining water levels, in part due to climate-driven heat, are threatening the long-term existence of Dal Lake and hundreds of other lakes in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

It takes constant effort by workers employed by the local government to keep Dal Lake's weeds at bay, and they must take precautions to avoid skin irritation from the polluted water. Yet it could be worse for the lake, which is located in Kashmir's most populous city, Srinagar. It's one of the few lakes in the region to receive sustained restoration work.

“We are afraid to touch the water with bare hands. Whenever we need to clean something by hand, we wear gloves, because without them our hands quickly develop allergies,” Ghulam Rasool, a weed cleaner employed by the local government, said on a recent afternoon.

Rasool said that sometimes it feels impossible to keep the lake clean.

“Sewage drains flow directly into the lake, and water streams coming from the mountains are bringing waste such as diapers and other garbage,” he said.

A combination of climate-driven changes, pollution and unplanned development is accelerating a decline in Indian lakes, with consequences rippling from fragile ecosystems to fishing communities and the tourism economy.

An Indian government report last year found that of the region’s 697 natural lakes, 315 have disappeared and 203 have shrunk since 1967. Hundreds recorded in earlier decades have been reduced to shallow marshes, seasonal wetlands or, in some cases, replaced by farmland and other development.

Lakes in Kashmir have always been centers of activity, including Dal Lake’s famous floating markets where locals sell everything from vegetables to souvenirs. However, recent decades have seen the lakes’ boundaries shrink due to unpredictable rainfall, increased sediment from rivers and encroachment by farmland and houses. Small islands of farmland or long wooden bridges leading to illegal homes are becoming an increasingly common sight.

Farmland and homes creeping into what was once lake land is apparent in an aerial view of Dal Lake. Cattle graze freely on newly formed farmland even as the traditional fishers try to make their daily quota nearby.

Untreated sewage flowing into the lakes results in the growth of weeds, which feed off nitrogen, phosphorous and other nutrients in the waste. Plastics and other garbage dirty the lake. Dozens of weed cleaners try to clear Dal Lake every day, and small mounds of cleared weeds can be seen at various spots across the lake. Excavators and other heavy machinery are also used to pull weeds and garbage from the lake.

While acknowledging that more funds and work are needed, local government officials said they are trying their best. A government-run lake authority started in 1997 includes civil engineers, scientists, forest officials and local police officials.

While more than 75% of Srinagar’s population is connected to sewage treatment systems, sewage from the unconnected houses is a major contributor to lake pollution, said Muzamil Ahmad Rafiqui, superintending engineer for Kashmir’s Lake Conservation and Management Authority.

Some of the world’s warmest years have meant that the Himalayan region is warming faster than the global average. Earlier snowmelt, reduced snowfall and more intense rainfall events are disrupting the timing and volume of water that feeds rivers and lakes.

Sher Muhammad, a glaciologist with the Kathmandu-headquartered International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, said the shifting, unpredictable patterns mean lakes now face periods of sudden inflow followed by prolonged stress during drier months.

The melting of the region's glaciers has also increased the amount of sediment carried downstream into the lakes. While the melting of glaciers can spur an initial boost in water flow, over time it will reduce the natural water storage that sustains rivers and lakes during dry periods, experts said.

Climate change has been devastating for Kashmir, said Irfan Rashid, an environmental scientist at the Srinagar-based University of Kashmir. “It has impacted every sector of our economy,” he said. Rashid said hydropower-generating capacity, tourism and highly valued apple and saffron farms have all been hit by erratic, extreme weather in recent years.

Fishers at Wular Lake, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Srinagar, said the lake has become shallower, its surface fragmented by new patches of vegetation. Parts of its catchment area have been taken over by tree plantations. Navigation has become harder, and fewer fish remain.

Abdul Rasheed, a 45-year-old fisherman, said he used to earn around 1,000 rupees ($11) a day. Now it's only 100 to 200 rupees ($1 to $2) for an entire night of fishing.

“There are a lot of changes since my childhood,” said Rasheed.

As is the case with many other lakes in Kashmir, agricultural and residential development has encroached on the lake, while untreated sewage and farm runoff have hurt its water quality. Indeed, the surface in several areas is a green gunk. The most recent detailed study of Wular Lake, conducted by the conservation group Wetlands International in 2007, found that the lake had shrunk by 45% over the preceding century. The report also emphasized that the degradation of the lake increases flood risks in the Kashmir valley because it was traditionally the biggest buffer for overflows from the Jhelum River.

Many fishers at Wular Lake said they don't believe future generations will be able to live off fishing.

Bashir Ahmed, a 55-year-old who has fished in the lake for decades, said in the past a young person with no fishing experience could return home with 4 kilograms (nearly 9 pounds) of fish.

“Now even a skilled fisherman comes home with no more than 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds),” he said.

Arasu reported from Bengaluru, India, and can be followed on X at @sibi123. Follow Dar Yasin on Instagram at @daryasinap

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A Kashmiri fisher rows his boat at dawn on Dal Lake on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Bashir Ahmed, a Kashmiri fisher, stands on an island in Wular Lake in Bandipora, northeast of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Abdul Rasheed, a fisher, casts his net into the waters of Wular Lake in Bandipora, northeast of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Kashmiri fishers on a boat row past weed and lotus leaves lying on the bank of Dal Lake in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A Kashmiri man harvests grass from Dal Lake to sell as fodder for cattle in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Kashmiri women on a boat wash blankets in the interiors of Dal Lake in Srinagar, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A Kashmiri boatman collects mire and aquatic weeds from Dal Lake to use as manure and to extend a floating gardens on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A stray cow grazes beside a canal filled with trash near Wular Lake in Bandipora, northeast of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A door made of tin sheets stands on a wooden footbridge connecting the interior of Dal Lake to the shore in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Tourists enjoy a ride on a traditional boat at sunset on Dal Lake in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Tourists enjoy a ride on a traditional boat near the floating market on Dal Lake in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Cattle graze along the banks of Wular Lake as a Kashmiri villager rows a shikara, a traditional boat, in Bandipora, northeast of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A floating vegetable garden is visible in the interior of Dal Lake on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, May 15, 2026.(AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Kashmiri men sell their produce early in the morning at the floating vegetable market on Dal Lake in Srinagar, Indian Controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Boats maneuver the waters of Dal Lake in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Ghulam Rasool, second from right, a weed cleaner employed by Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA), works at Dal Lake in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A cyclist walks a bike on a wooden footbridge as a man rows his boat in the interiors of Dal Lake on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A Kashmiri woman cleans a blanket in algae-filled water on the banks of Wular Lake in Bandipor, northeast of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A couple on their way to work row a shikara, a traditional boat, through algae and trash-filled waters of Wular Lake in Bandipora, northeast of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

An employee of the Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) uses a machine to clear weeds from Dal Lake in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Mohammad Amin, a Kashmiri laborer employed by a nonprofit organization that collects garbage floating on Dal Lake, works on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) — Three firefighters killed over the weekend in a wildfire along the Colorado-Utah border were trying to shield themselves from flames by deploying tent-like shelters when they were overcome, authorities said.

The firefighters were part of a specialized crew that goes into remote areas by helicopter to quickly put out new and rapidly escalating wildfires, federal officials said Monday.

Their deaths Saturday came almost 13 years to the day since an elite crew of 19 wildland firefighters died when they were trapped in a steep canyon in Yarnell, Arizona.

Like this weekend's victims, the men in Arizona tried to deploy emergency shelters that are a “last resort” for firefighters when there's no other way out. Investigators didn't blame anyone for the deaths in 2013, but cited radio communication problems that contributed to the Granite Mountain Hotshots becoming trapped. Arizona's workplace safety commission also fined the state's forestry division for not pulling them out.

Wildfires have erupted over the past week all across the West, fueled by months of dry weather and a record lack of snow in some places this past winter. Wildfire experts have warned for months that extreme fire dangers are likely this summer.

U.S. Wildland Fire Service Chief Brian Fennessy said he would not speculate about whether the crew overrun by the weekend fire in Colorado should have been where they were.

“I will say the fact that they were there was, I’m 100% sure, based on good decision-making,” Fennessy said during a news conference Monday. “The fires in this region over the decades, you know, killed many firefighters. They weren’t being foolish. They weren’t being careless. They were there because they thought they could do what needed to be done to suppress that fire. And many times the weather changes.”

With more than two dozen large fires burning, almost 8,000 wildland firefighters and dozens of firefighting helicopters have been deployed. About half the largest blazes are in Alaska while the rest are mostly in Western states.

Even as firefighting resources were increasingly strained, evacuations were ordered near seven fires, including in Arizona, Washington state, New Mexico and Utah. About 800 people living in and around the small town of Beulah in eastern Colorado were told to evacuate as a wildfire threatened the area on Monday afternoon, Gov. Jared Polis said.

“We're really at the mercy of the winds,” Polis said.

The U.S. Forest Service and Interior Department identified the firefighters killed as Emily Barker, 38, of Clinton Township, Michigan; Nick Hutcherson, 27, of Glendale, Arizona; and Sydney Watson, 26, of Warrior, Alabama.

Two others who were with them sustained burn injuries. They were in stable condition but remained hospitalized in the Denver area, officials said at Monday's news conference.

“The loss we experience here is not felt by just one agency. It is felt by an entire wildland fire community,” Fennessy said. “We grieve together, we support one another and we continue the mission together.”

A long line of fire trucks and vehicles from a wide array of emergency response agencies made their way slowly through Grand Junction, Colorado, Monday with their lights flashing. A scattering of people, some with their hands on their hearts, watched silently from the sidewalk as they passed.

The procession ended at a cemetery, and the bodies of two of the firefighters draped in American flags were taken into a funeral home as officials from fire agencies saluted.

The three killed were assigned to a Helitack crew that can be dropped into remote areas by helicopters and whose mission is to prevent new fires from growing into out-of-control blazes. But it can be extremely dangerous, often taking place in areas where fires are rapidly expanding.

Watson worked for the Wildland Fire Service and the other two firefighters who died were assigned to the Forest Service. All were part of an interagency response to fires just west of Grand Junction.

The Snyder Fire in the area has burned about 44 square miles (114 square kilometers), authorities said.

Watson's death was the first within the the new Wildland Fire Service, which was created within the Department of Interior earlier this year to coordinate firefighting on public lands.

The deaths are being investigated by the Forest and Wildland Fire services, a process that typically results in recommendations for how to prevent or reduce the risk of a similar accident. Agencies can also convene an accident review board to suggest any further actions.

More hot, dry and windy weather across the Southwest will elevate the fire threat at least until the weekend, according to the national Storm Prediction Center.

Among the concerns were high winds in the mountains of Colorado and Wyoming, in the Black Hills of South Dakota and across portions of the High Plains.

Utah already has restricted firework usage going into the July Fourth holiday.

The national “preparedness level” for wildfires was increased to a 4, on a scale of 1 to 5, the National Interagency Fire Center said Monday. That’s a sign resources are beginning to be strained, and officials warned of a high potential for new, large fires in multiple parts of the country in coming days.

There are enough firefighting resources for now across the Rocky Mountains to deal with the blazes, said Mike Morgan, director of Colorado’s Division of Fire Prevention and Control. But that could change quickly if conditions worsen in other parts of the country, Morgan said, adding that crews that battle fires on the ground already are in short supply.

“We know hand crews are always a hot commodity. We're getting a little short on those, so that would be one I would say we're a little concerned with,” Morgan said. “At the moment, I would say I feel pretty good about where we're at, but I'm very concerned about where we go.”

So far this year, wildfires have burned more than 4,800 square miles (12,400 square kilometers) — the most by this point in the year since 2022 and significantly above the 10-year average.

Brown reported from Billings, Montana, and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio.

Charles Balke, of the Palisade Fire Department, wears a black band across his badge to honor three firefighters killed while fighting the Snyder Fire in Grand Junction, Colo. Sunday, June 28, 2026. (Gretel Daugherty via AP)

Firefighters carry the flag-draped body of one of the three firefighters killed while fighting the Snyder Fire in Grand Junction, Colo. Sunday, June 28, 2026. (Gretel Daugherty via AP)

A Colorado State Patrol car leads a procession carrying the bodies of three firefighters killed while fighting the Snyder Fire in Grand Junction, Colo. Sunday, June 28, 2026. (Gretel Daugherty via AP)

Firefighters with the Lower Valley Fire Protection District hang an American flag along a procession route in honor of three firefighters killed while fighting the Snyder Fire in Grand Junction, Colo. Sunday, June 28, 2026. (Gretel Daugherty via AP)

A captain with the Clifton Fire Protection District salutes the passing procession carrying the bodies of three firefighters killed while fighting the Snyder Fire in Grand Junction, Colo. Sunday, June 28, 2026. (Gretel Daugherty via AP)

Law enforcement officers staff a roadblock as the Snyder Fire burns near Mack, Colo., on Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

The Snyder Fire burns near Thompson Springs, Utah, on Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A firefighting aircraft rests on the tarmac at Grand Junction Regional Airport in Grand Junction, Colo., as the Snyder Fire burns nearby on Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A helicopter drops water on the Cottonwood Fire burning near Beaver, Utah, on Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

The Snyder Fire burns near Thompson Springs, Utah, on Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)