Lotus flowers have bloomed again in Kashmir's Wular Lake after an absence of 33 years, following a major de-silting and restoration programme. The lake, once among Asia's largest freshwater bodies, had supported over 5,000 people who harvested nadru, the edible lotus stem prized in Kashmiri cuisine. However, devastating floods in 1992 choked the lake bed with silt, wiping out the plants and plunging families into poverty.
"We threw seeds into the lake hundreds of times, but nothing grew. It's only now, after the silt was cleared, that we see the flowers again after nearly 33 years," said Bashir Ahmad, a 65-year-old fisherman who depends on the lake. The Wular Conservation and Management Authority (Wucma) launched a de-silting programme in 2020, removing more than 7.9 million cubic metres of silt and uprooting over two million willow trees that had contributed to sediment build-up.
Mohammad Fayaz Dar, Bashir's brother, said nadru, the lotus stem, had gradually vanished from local diets after the disappearance of the plants, but now "we believe it will be revived completely". The stems are used in traditional dishes for celebrations such as wazwan. Chef Tavir Ahmad noted, "Now that it's back, we're preparing dishes the way our grandmothers did – slow, simple, and full of memory."
Wucma official Showket Ahmad explained that lotus roots had probably remained dormant under silt for years, re-emerging after clearance. The lake, a Ramsar site since 1990, had shrunk by nearly two-thirds between 1911 and 2007 due to land conversion and willow plantations. Environmentalist Meera Sharma said, "When nature heals, it revives everything it once nurtured – livelihoods, traditions, biodiversity."
The revival is expected to boost the local economy. Bashir Ahmad added, "We had lost all hope that it would ever return. Some in our community even took up other work... but we waited. The return of the lotus has brought back hope."
