Pollution of Heavy Metals in the Lake Waters of Kashmir Valley

The Kashmir Valley presents a picturesque mosaic of natural lakes, springs, streams and rivers. As both Dal and Nigeen lakes are typical urban lakes of low land origin, surrounded on all sides by the population at elevated levels, these two lakes have become receptacles for waste material of all kinds from both domestic and the commercial sources. Improvement in the living standards of local populace and corresponding haphazard increase in tourism infrastructure due to high tourist influx together with population explosion have led to manifold increase in urbanization of the catchment areas in and around these lakes and their over exploitation that has resulted in the disruption of their ecological balance due to their severe pollution.