No record of encroachments before 2014 available: LCMA

Srinagar, Jul 22: In a startling disclosure, the Lakes Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) has said that it has no official record of illegal encroachments around Srinagar’s lakes and wetlands before October 2014. The authority has attributed the loss of records to the devastating floods that hit Kashmir that year.

The information came to light in response to a Right to Information (RTI) application seeking details of encroachments and demolitions carried out by LCMA from the year 2000 to 2025.

The reply, issued by the Enforcement Wing of the LCMA, stated: “Since the year 2000 to September 2014, the records of this office were got damaged in the devastating floods of 2014. However, from October 2014, as per the available records, LCMA has removed/demolished 2916 illegal encroachments/illegal constructions. The watchers are being directed to maintain the status quo of the offended encroachments/illegal constructions.”

For over a decade, Srinagar’s lakes—particularly Dal and Nigeen—were widely reported to be under assault from unchecked construction, encroachments, and pollution. Yet the absence of any official data from that period now makes it impossible to trace the history of violations, identify repeat offenders, or evaluate the success of previous interventions.

The LCMA, formerly known as the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA), is the principal agency responsible for the conservation, restoration, and regulation of urban water bodies in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir. Following its restructuring and renaming in 2021, the authority’s jurisdiction now spans several historically and ecologically important lakes and wetlands, including Dal, Nigeen, Brari Nambal, Gilsar, and Khushalsar.

Dal Lake, the most prominent of these, has been the focus of several conservation and rehabilitation efforts over the years. Nigeen, often considered an extension of Dal. Brari Nambal, a significant wetland hydrologically linked to Dal, is undergoing restoration. Gilsar and Khushalsar, both urban lakes facing mounting environmental stress, have recently come under LCMA’s direct management. Anchaar Lake, which acts as a natural flood basin for the Jhelum River, is also managed by the authority.

In addition to overseeing conservation works, the LCMA is tasked with regulating construction activity, removing illegal structures, monitoring inflows and catchments, and relocating lake dwellers as part of rehabilitation programmes. However, the absence of a basic record of encroachments prior to 2014 raises questions about the continuity and effectiveness of its mission.

While the authority has claimed to have removed nearly 3,000 illegal constructions since late 2014, activists and urban planners argue that without records from the previous years, it is impossible to measure the actual impact.

Environmental experts have long maintained that the rapid urbanisation of Srinagar and the failure to curb encroachments have significantly damaged the region’s fragile lake systems. With climate change increasing the risk of extreme weather events and flooding, the management of these water bodies requires not only physical intervention but also institutional accountability.