Srinagar, Aug. 17 -- By Mauzam Bakshi

Gangbal, Vishansar, Krishansar, Gadsar, Tarsar, Marsar, Kounsarnag, Sheshnag, Satsar, Nundkol, Alpathar.

The names read like a poem, but these lakes themselves are working harder than their beauty suggests.

Perched above the tree line among Kashmir's snow-clad peaks, they collect meltwater and rain, then send it downhill into streams that feed the Jhelum, recharge groundwater, fill wetlands and keep farms and fisheries running through the dry months.

Water security in the valley starts here, in basins most residents will never see.

Scientists treat these lakes as something closer to instruments than scenery. Sediment layers on their beds hold a record of centuries of climate shifts, and their pre...