, June 23 -- By Mohmmad Irshad Rather

Wular Lake, a Ramsar site (wetlands of international importance) nestled in the heart of the Kashmir Valley, is facing a crisis that extends far beyond its shimmering waters. The intricate relationship between the lake and the communities that depend on it, particularly the fisherfolk, is being severely strained by the dual pressures of a changing climate and relentless humaninduced degradation. Their plight, as Ghulam Hassan Bhat, President of the Wular Fisheries community, articulated, paints a grim picture of a once-thriving ecosystem teetering on the brink.

Bhat spoke with a palpable sense of urgency. 'Climate change has fundamentally altered the rhythms of our land.'. The decline in rainfall, p...