India, June 17 -- Kashmir's lakes and wetlands are shrinking, polluted or disappearing, even as tourist images continue to present them as pristine landscapes.

A recent CAG report found that more than 70 per cent of wetlands and water bodies in Jammu and Kashmir have either shrunk or disappeared since the 1960s.

The loss of wetlands is affecting children's daily lives, including play, health, schooling and their connection with nature.

More than 300 children across Kashmir are leading clean-up drives, plantation efforts and community campaigns to protect lakes, wetlands and springs.

For many, Kashmir's lakes exist first as spectacle, captured through Instagram reels and travel vlogs of the famed Kashmir Great Lakes Trek, where alpine ...