Declining chestnut yield worries Wular Lake-dependent communities

Bandipora, Aug 11: The annual water chestnut harvest has begun in Jammu and Kashmir’s Wular Lake, bringing hundreds of traditional boatmen and villagers back onto its waters, but shrinking yields are threatening the livelihood of communities that have depended on the lake for generations.
According to reports, from the early hours of the day, boats can be seen moving across the vast expanse of Wular as extractors wade through its waters and vegetation in search of water chestnuts, locally known as garand.
For many families living around the lake, the seasonal harvest is more than a traditional occupation — it is an important source of household income.
However, veteran extractors say the bounty that once made the season lucrative has steadily diminished over the years.
“Earlier, I would bring out nearly 50 kg of chestnuts from the lake in a day. Now, even getting 20 kg is difficult,” said Mohammad Ramzan Pinchoo, who has been engaged in chestnut extraction for nearly five decades.
Several villages, including Kulhama, Lankreshipora, Suderkoot, Kanibath, Keema and Zurimanz, are among the major suppliers of water chestnuts from Wular to markets across Kashmir and outside the Valley.
Ramzan said the decline has become increasingly noticeable, with extractors having to spend longer hours on the lake for considerably smaller quantities.
Another elderly extractor, Abdul Aziz of Lankreshipora, recalled a time when a boat could be filled with 50-60 kg of chestnuts within half a day. “Those days are gone. A harvest of that size has become almost unimaginable,” he said.
Aziz attributed the declining yield to a combination of factors, including encroachment around the lake, siltation and increasing pollution.
For the communities living along Wular’s shores, the problem extends beyond chestnuts.
“People here depend on the lake either directly or indirectly. For the last several years, we have seen a major decline in both fishing and water chestnut production,” said fisherman Gulam Nabi.
He said the falling harvest could have a direct impact on families that rely on the seasonal income generated from chestnut extraction.
“Water chestnuts are an important source of income for many families here. If the production continues to fall, their earnings will also be affected,” Nabi said.
Wular, one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia, has traditionally supported a diverse local economy based on fishing, chestnut extraction and other lake-related activities.
Official data cited in the report says the lake has historically produced around four metric tonnes of water chestnuts annually, besides supporting an estimated 5,000 tonnes of fish belonging to 11 species each year.
Environmental degradation, however, has increasingly raised concerns over the lake’s ecological health and its ability to sustain traditional livelihoods.
A survey conducted during 2017-18 found that pollution was contributing to a decline in native fish species as well as affecting the production of exotic fish in the lake.
For the chestnut extractors returning to Wular this season, the changing harvest is a visible reminder of the pressure on the lake.
While the boats continue to move across Wular during the harvest season, the communities living along its banks are hoping that efforts to restore the lake’s ecological health will also revive the livelihoods that have long been tied to its waters. (KNO)