Suhail Khan
SOPORE, Oct 30: The Department of Jal Shakti has informed that no prior comprehensive survey exists to establish key parameters for Wular Lake, but a detailed scientific study is now in progress.
This information was provided in a detailed written reply to Sopore MLA Irshad Rasool Kar, a copy of which is with Kashmir Convener.
According to the government’s reply, the Forest Department confirmed that no comprehensive baseline survey is on record to reliably establish these parameters. However, a comprehensive bathymetric-hydrodynamic study is currently underway through the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) in Roorkee.
This study is mandated to assess the lake’s current water-carrying capacity, delineate and validate critically silted areas, and determine the rate of siltation.
While the study proceeds, the government has reported several measurable outcomes from restoration work in the lake and its feeder channels. Approximately 4.55 square kilometers of critically silted area has been functionally restored through de-silting.
A major intervention in the SK Payeen area of the main lake, involving 6.393 million cubic meters of dredged material, has restored roughly 3.10 square kilometers within the lake body. Targeted de-siltation in catchment and feeding channels has contributed to the total restored footprint of about 4.55 square kilometers. Cumulatively, 7.825 million cubic meters of dredging have been executed.
The government stated that these interventions have improved hydraulic connectivity and significantly enhanced the lake’s carrying capacity and overall water regime.
The reply further detailed ongoing infrastructure projects and financial allocations including the Irrigation & Flood Control (I&FC) Kashmir department dredged 285,000 cubic metres from the Sopore-Baramulla OFC channel over the last two years using mechanical dredgers.
₹1.80 crore has been earmarked for strengthening the embankment of Wular Lake at three locations—Zalwan, Makhdoomyari, and Shahgung—during the current financial year.
A 305-meter-long Guide Wall at Sher Colony and Maharajpora in Sopore, being constructed under the Flood Management Programme (FMBAP) at an estimated cost of ₹455.78 lakh, is approximately 95% complete.
To enhance the capacity of the Flood Spill Channel, several works have been completed under FMP Phase-I, including re-sectioning from Naidkhai downstream bridge to Gulabwari. River training works worth ₹164.33 lakh have also been executed at Wazipora Naidkhai and upstream of Sultanpora Bridge to strengthen embankments and mitigate flood damage.
The government noted that the present carrying capacity of the Flood Spill Channel at the inlet is estimated to be between 8,700 and 10,000 cusecs (cubic feet per second). During the recent floods of September 2025, a discharge of 6,900 cusecs was recorded at Padshahi Bagh, with sufficient freeboard still available.
The reply further reads that while permanent immunity against floods is not technically or economically feasible, the flood threat can be minimized through structural and non-structural measures such as early warning systems and flood plain zoning.
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