Ganderbal, March 10 -- The Wular-Manasbal Development Authority (WMDA) has launched a dredging and cleanliness drive at the historic Manasbal Lake to restore its ecological health and enhance its natural beauty.

Chief Executive Officer Ahsan-ul-Haq Chisti said the dredging work, which had not been carried out for many years, was initiated about four to five months ago to remove silt, clear blocked water channels and increase the lake's carrying capacity.

According to Chisti, around 1.3 square kilometres of the lake area has been dredged so far, while nearly 7,000 cubic metres of weeds have been manually removed.

He said the initiative has already started showing positive results, with the lake witnessing the arrival of migratory birds ...