Srinagar, April 18 -- Wetlands of Kashmir are vanishing before our eyes, and the latest water quality data is not just a warning; it is an alarm bell ringing across the Valley. More than eighty percent of monitored wetlands fail to meet even the basic 'Class B' standards, a measure meant to ensure water is safe for outdoor bathing. This collapse is not abstract; it is visible in the darkened waters of Dal, the suffocated stretches of Hokersar, the poisoned veins of Anchar. What were once living sanctuaries are now sites of ecological distress, stripped of oxygen, burdened with waste, and abandoned to decay.

These wetlands were once the winter homes of migratory birds, places where life from distant continents converged in harmony. They w...