Srinagar, July 13 -- Lotus have found their way back to Wular Lake-Asia's second fresh water lake-after decades. The reappearance of the Lotus flower is being seen as a major step towards lake conservation and a hope for those families who used to earn their livelihood from the lake. A pack of two kilogram of Lotus stem is sold in local markets for Rs.250to 350 depending upon the quality The blooming lotuses have not only cheered environmentalists but also the 80,000 people who are directly of indirectly dependent on the lake for livelihood. Locals as well as officials give credit to conservation project launched by WUCMA in 2018. Spread over two districts -Baramulla and Bandipora -in north Kashmir, the Wular Lake is one of the 42 Indian wetlands designated as a Ramsar site, which means lakes of international standard. It is shallow with a maximum depth of 5.8 m and covers 130 sq km, providing 60% of the Valley's fish produce. The lake is also known for water chestnuts and is the lifeline of the 50 surrounding villages. For the past six years, more than Rs.300 crore have been spent on the lake's conservation and experts say results are reflecting on ground. "Yes, after decades we have seen Lotus flowers in Wular. It's a very encouraging sign," said Abid Sheikh who lives close to the banks of Wular in Kanibatech village, Bandipora. "This Lotus used to be here but then after massive floods in 1992, the lotus stems vanished. Many fishermen used to harvest Lotus stems and earn their livelihood." Project Coordinator Wular Conservation and Management Authority (WUCMA), Owais Farooq Mir, said that the Lotus stem is back in Wular after 22 years but local fishermen say they have harvested it after 33 years. "We made intervention by desilting the lake and all those areas the old seed has rejuvenated. At some places we have introduced seed as well. The lotus bloom is remarkable at places which have been cleaned as the Lotus stem needs shallow water for growth," Mir said, adding that along with revenue authorities they will decide how to harvest it. The local communities will do it as its their right, he further said. Lotus flowers are attractive and their stem in local parlance is called "nadru", a tasteful vegetable and known vegetarian cuisine. The flood deposited a large quantity of silt in the lake that buried the lotus vegetation over the years. Showkat Ahmad of SK Bala village who is also associated with WUCMA said that for the first time he saw lotus stems in Wular after decades. "I am more than 30 years old. I have never seen Lotus in Wular. Last year I saw the bloom for the first time. Now it's massive and credit goes to the desilting," he said, adding that last time as per his initial estimates the people who are dependent on Wular have taken lotus worth Rs.50 to 60 lakhs. "This time, the government is planning to go for license fee or may allow plucking on tender basis. Last year it's was on trial basis but this time it's massive and with passage it's going to spread over other parts of the lake." Environmentalist Jalal Jeelani who had spent months in Wular documenting the lake, said the back to back floods played havoc for Lotus stem. "With conservation of lake at many places, the seeds must have been planted in lake or the old seats have rejuvenated at many places which has seen reappearance of Lotus stem in Wular," he said. Since the beginning of lake's conservation project, more than 5 sq km of the Lake has been dredged, while another 22 sq km of critically silted area will also be cleaned....