Surrounded by the majestic Himalayas, Lake Wullar in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Bandipora district is one of Asia’s largest freshwater lakes. The lake that produces varieties of fish, water chestnuts and fodder besides serving as a habitat for migratory waterbirds, provides livelihood to nearly 32,000 households in the 40 villages surrounding it for generations. Shortly after midnight, Kashmiri fisherwomen, dependent on the lake for survival, leave in rows of boats to fish and collect chestnuts.
But they have reasons to worry now as the lake’s condition deteriorates steadily due to growing pollution in the area, causing many varieties of fish to disappear. Hajra Begum, 45, a fisherwoman in Lankeshpora village, leaves home when most of her family members are asleep and rows for hours in the lake.
Until a few years ago, her hard work would fetch her a boat full of chestnuts and kilograms of fish, helping her livelihood. But she says the quantity of both has drastically dwindled, causing her distress. “Our future is uncertain because the lake is helpless. If it dies, we will die with it,” she told Al Jazeera. “We are in grief because the source of our livelihood is in a terrible condition. We are affected both physically and mentally.”
The job of the fisherwomen is not easy. Many complain of various ailments, including mouth ulcers, blistering, fungal infections and body ache due to long hours of fishing in the lake. They also suffer harsh sunburn and melasma. “My hands swell and I often get skin rashes and fungal infection,” Hajra said. Her three daughters are school dropouts and help her in her work and selling the produce in the market.