Archive · 8 Aug 2026
CPCB: Manasbal Lake critically polluted, drinking water fouled by sewage
Manasbal Lake is a big, beautiful freshwater lake in Kashmir, but scientists found that its water is very, very dirty.
The water has germs from poop and sewage, which can make people sick.
It is so dirty that it is not even safe to swim in.
Many families use this lake water for drinking, so people are worried about their health.
The dirt comes from nearby villages, whose waste flows into the lake through a canal.
People also throw garbage and plastic into the lake.
A man named Raja Muzaffar Bhat asked a special court to check the lake, and the court told the pollution board to test it.
The government promised to build a sewage treatment plant to clean the lake, but it was never built.
Now people are angry and say the authorities did not protect the lake or the people who drink from it.
A CPCB report found Manasbal Lake critically polluted with faecal matter, raw sewage, and solid waste.
None of the seven water samples met Class B standards, and five of the seven locations were classed as Class D, fit only for wildlife and fisheries.
The lake is a primary drinking water source for residents of Ganderbal and Bandipora districts, sparking major public health concerns.
The tests were conducted in April after the National Green Tribunal ordered an assessment following a petition by environmental activist Raja Muzaffar Bhat.
Bhat alleged untreated sewage, including pesticides, from 14 villages enters via the Lar Canal — the CPCB cited wastewater from seven villages — and called the lack of an STP "criminal negligence."
- Who
- The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which tested the water, and environmental activist Raja Muzaffar Bhat, whose petition led to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordering the assessment.
- What
- A CPCB report showed Manasbal Lake is critically polluted with faecal matter, raw sewage and solid waste, with no tested location meeting Class B water quality standards.
- When
- The report was released on August 8; the samples were taken in April, after the NGT ordered the tests in January.
- Where
- Manasbal Lake in Ganderbal district, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
- Why
- Untreated sewage and wastewater from villages flows into the lake through the Lar Canal, along with dumped municipal waste and plastics, contaminating a primary drinking water source.
Petitioner and environmental activists
Government authorities
Sewage Treatment Plant and lake protection
Petitioner and environmental activists
Activist Raja Muzaffar Bhat called the situation "criminal negligence": the government claimed a Sewage Treatment Plant was being set up to protect the lake, but it never came up, while 50,000-60,000 people are supplied contaminated drinking water.
Government authorities
Government authorities had claimed that a Sewage Treatment Plant was being set up to protect the lake, indicating that remedial action was said to be under way.
- Polluted water body
- Manasbal Lake, Ganderbal district, Jammu and Kashmir
- Monitoring agency
- Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
- Legal basis
- National Green Tribunal order after a petition by Raja Muzaffar Bhat
- Samples collected
- Seven (4 from the lake, 2 from natural springs, 1 from the Lar Canal)
- Water quality result
- 5 sites Class D (wildlife/fisheries only), 1 spring Class C, 1 spring below Classes A-D; none met Class B
- Contamination sources
- Untreated wastewater from seven villages via Lar Canal; grey water, municipal waste and plastics near Kondabal
- People affected
- 50,000-60,000 supplied this water for drinking (per petitioner)
- Heavy metals
- Mostly below detectable limits