Jammu, April 10 -- The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has flagged alarming degradation of lakes in Jammu and Kashmir, revealing that 518 out of 697 natural lakes (over 74%) in the Union Territory have either disappeared or decreased in size since 1967, leading to significant ecological imbalance and loss of biodiversity. As per the CAG report on the conservation of lakes in UT for the year ended March 31, 2024, out of the total 697 lakes with a total area of 28,990 hectares, as many as 315 lakes covering 1,537.07 hectares have disappeared, while the area of 203 lakes shrank by 1,314.19 hectares. "There was total decrease and disappearance of area of 2,851.26 hectares in 518 lakes," the report stated. The CAG strongly recommended a series of measures for effective conservation and management of lakes in J&K, stressing the need for a structured and time-bound approach. It said this large-scale shrinkage has resulted in loss of flora and fauna, disruption of ecological services, and adverse impacts on water, food and biodiversity. It also said the reduction in lake area has contributed to climate insecurity and was one of the factors behind the devastating J&K floods in September 2014, highlighting that lakes act as natural flood buffers. J&K, endowed with 697 natural lakes spread across 20 districts in two divisions, holds immense ecological and socio-economic significance, it said. The CAG attributed the disappearance and degradation of lakes primarily to changes in land use within lake bodies and their catchment areas, along with deforestation, climate change and unregulated human activities. Recommending urgent action, the CAG called for enactment of a comprehensive law for conservation and management of lakes....