A 15th-century sultan built an island in the middle of this lake. Today, willow plantations and encroachment are shrinking the lake around that same island.
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Indian Geography · IndGeo0040
Wular Lake: An Island That Outlasted the Lake
1911
~217.6 km²
Lake + marshes
Today
~130 km²
Lake alone
India’s #1
Largest freshwater lake
Jhelum River
Natural flood-absorption basin
1444 AD
Zaina Lank island built
Shrinking flood defence
Willow plantations, siltation, and encroachment have eaten away at Wular’s water surface — weakening the very flood-control role the Kashmir Valley depends on it for.
Must Know.
India’s Largest Freshwater Lake.
Location and the Jhelum Connection.
- Location. Wular Lake, in Jammu and Kashmir‘s Bandipore district, is India’s largest freshwater lake.
- Position. It sits about 50 kilometres northwest of Srinagar, at the foothills of the Haramuk Mountain.
- The Jhelum. The lake is fed by, and passes through, the Jhelum River, and plays a key role in the river’s hydrology across the Kashmir Valley.
- Flood Control. Wular acts as a natural flood-absorption basin, helping control Jhelum flooding downstream.
- Ramsar Status. It was designated a Ramsar wetland of international importance in 1990.
Previous Year Question.
Asked as part of: “Consider the following statements. Jhelum River passes through Wular Lake.” This statement was tested as true in UPSC CSP 2023, GS Paper I, alongside Kolleru and Kanwar Lakes. See IndGeo0130 — Lakes of India for how Wular compares to Kolleru Lake and Kanwar Lake. View this question.
Good to Know.
A Shrinking Tectonic Lake.
Origins and the Sultan’s Island.
- Tectonic Origin. The lake formed through tectonic activity, and is believed to be a remnant of the ancient, larger Satisar Lake.
- Seasonal Range. Wular’s size varies dramatically by season, from roughly 30 square kilometres to as much as 260 square kilometres.
- Zaina Lank. In 1444, the Kashmiri sultan Zain-ul-Abidin ordered an artificial island, Zaina Lank, built in the middle of the lake.
- Still Standing. That island still stands today, even as the surrounding lake has shrunk considerably.
Test Yourself.
Great to Know.
A Lake in Decline.
How the Lake Has Shrunk.
- 1911 Records. In 1911, official records put the lake’s area, plus its associated marshes, at about 217.6 square kilometres.
- Today’s Extent. Today, the lake itself has shrunk to roughly 130 square kilometres, even before counting the lost marshland.
- Willow Plantations. Willow plantations, put in decades ago for timber, now cover large stretches that used to be open water.
- Other Pressures. Siltation, encroachment, and untreated sewage have all added to the decline, threatening the lake’s flood-control role for the Kashmir Valley.
Beyond the answer
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IndGeo0130 — Lakes of India: Tectonic, Oxbow, Deltaic, and CraterIndGeo0129 — Kanwar Lake: Asia's Largest Freshwater Oxbow LakeGK0006 — Notable Geographical Facts of IndiaIndGeo0128 — Kolleru Lake: The Lake Two Rivers Don't Directly FeedWorldGeo0026 — Lake Turkana: The Jade Sea❓ Practice this topic
D0311 — Consider the following statements: 1. Filling a lake removes natural flood storage. 2. Wetlands recharge groundwater aquifers. 3. Reclaimed water bodies increase local heat island effects. How many of the statements are correct?D0310 — Which of the following directly governs wetland conservation in India?D0309 — Why is the East Kolkata Wetlands ecologically valuable?D0308 — Which of the following is a direct environmental effect of filling an urban lake?🎲 Take a Indian Geography Quiz
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