{"id":11861,"date":"2026-04-07T12:31:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T07:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/exams\/?p=11861"},"modified":"2026-04-07T12:31:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T07:01:39","slug":"cag-report-518-lakes-disappearing-jammu-kashmir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/cag-report-518-lakes-disappearing-jammu-kashmir\/","title":{"rendered":"CAG Report: 518 Out of 697 Lakes in Jammu &amp; Kashmir Disappearing or Shrinking Rapidly"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has conducted a recent audit that has demonstrated that there is a severe ecological crisis in Jammu and Kashmir. The report on lake conservation and management (tabled in 2026) indicates that 518 out of 697 lakes have disappeared or been greatly reduced over the years. The audit points out that 315 lakes have totally disappeared and many others have deteriorated as a result of encroachment, urbanisation, and changes in land-use. It also cites poor governance, inadequate conservation planning, and insufficient funding as key factors contributing to the decline, and this is a cause of concern regarding the loss of biodiversity and greater vulnerability to climate change.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why Are 518 Lakes in J&amp;K Disappearing? Key Findings of CAG Report<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, it has been found that 518 out of 697 lakes in Jammu and Kashmir have either vanished or diminished, and this is a big ecological crisis.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There is a total of 315 lakes that have been totally lost since 1967, and these have been lost primarily through encroachment, urban growth, and changes in land use within catchment areas and lakes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the largest human-induced factors that leads to the degradation of lakes is the conversion of wetlands to agricultural, residential, and commercial land.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The total area covered by the lake has declined by more than 2,851 hectares, indicating a downward trend in the water resources over the decades.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fragmented governance in various departments (Forest, Revenue, Agriculture, Urban Development, and Tourism) caused a lack of effective coordination and lake management.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Conservation focused only on 6 main lakes, while more than 690 lakes received poor management or protection.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Problems such as sewage being untreated, inability to conserve, and absence of surveillance aggravated the state of major lakes such as Dal and Wular.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Low budget allocation (approximately 1%) and poor scientific planning further undermined restoration efforts.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The drying up of lakes has led to loss of biodiversity, water scarcity, and the probability of floods, such as the 2014 floods in Kashmir.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The CAG suggests the establishment of a central body to have experts to guarantee effective conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of lakes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">PYQs on Jammu &amp; Kashmir (Geography and art &amp; culture)<\/span><\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Exam<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Year<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Question<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Options<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Answer<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">UPSC Prelims<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2019<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Which of the following lakes is located in Jammu &amp; Kashmir?<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(A) Sambhar Lake (B) Dal Lake (C) Chilika Lake (D) Pulicat Lake<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>B) Dal Lake<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">UPSC Prelims<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2016<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Indus River originates from which region?<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(A) Himachal Pradesh (B) Tibet near Mansarovar (C) J&amp;K Valley (D) Nepal<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>B) Tibet near Mansarovar<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">SSC CGL<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2020<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wular Lake, one of the largest freshwater lakes in India, is located in which state\/UT?<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(A) Punjab (B) Rajasthan (C) Jammu &amp; Kashmir (D) Uttarakhand<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>C) Jammu &amp; Kashmir<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">SSC CHSL<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2018<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Which dance form is associated with Jammu &amp; Kashmir?<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(A) Bhangra (B) Rouf (C) Garba (D) Lavani<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>B) Rouf<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RRB NTPC<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2021<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In which city do the famous Mughal Gardens, like Shalimar Bagh, lie?<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(A) Jammu (B) Leh (C) Srinagar (D) Kargil<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>C) Srinagar<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">UPSC Prelims<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2015<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Which pass connects Srinagar to Leh?<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(A) Nathu La (B) Zoji La (C) Shipki La (D) Bomdi La<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>B) Zoji La<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">SSC CPO<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2019<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Saffron cultivation in India is mainly done in which region?<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(A) Kerala (B) Gujarat (C) Jammu &amp; Kashmir (D) Assam<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>C) Jammu &amp; Kashmir<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RRB Group D<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2022<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Which river flows through Srinagar?<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(A) Ravi (B) Chenab (C) Jhelum (D) Beas<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>C) Jhelum<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">UPSC Prelims<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2017<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dachigam National Park is located in which region?<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(A) Himachal Pradesh (B) Uttarakhand (C) Jammu &amp; Kashmir (D) Sikkim<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>C) Jammu &amp; Kashmir<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">SSC GD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2021<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The pashmina shawl is traditionally associated with which region?<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(A) Punjab (B) Jammu &amp; Kashmir (C) Rajasthan (D) Gujarat<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>B) Jammu &amp; Kashmir<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/esa-celeste-satellites-leo-navigation-mission\">ESA\u2019s First Celeste Satellites Launched<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Conclusion &#8211; 518 Lakes in J&amp;K Disappearing<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 518 lakes in Jammu and Kashmir, as pointed out by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, are evidence of a terrible environmental crisis that has to be addressed urgently. Rapid urbanisation, encroachment, and poor governance have severely affected these ecosystems. To ensure biodiversity, water security, and climate balance, it is important to protect and restore lakes. It would be important to reverse this concerning trend by having sound policy implementation, scientific management, and making people aware, so as to guarantee sustainable environmental conservation in the region.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has conducted a recent audit that has demonstrated that there is a severe ecological crisis in Jammu and Kashmir. The report on lake conservation and management (tabled in 2026) indicates that 518 out of 697 lakes have disappeared or been greatly reduced over the years. The audit points [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11862,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11861"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11863,"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11861\/revisions\/11863"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}