Kashmir valley is fondly known as the “Heaven on Earth”. It is a beautiful valley that can fascinate anyone. In addition to its fascinating mountains and magnificent rivers and meadows, the lakes in Kashmir are famous all over the world for their beauty and fresh water. Wular, Dal, Nigeen, Anchar and Manasbal are some of the more famous lakes in Kashmir valley. These lakes are very vital for the sustenance of life in this part of the world. These lakes are rich sources of fresh water for domestic and agricultural purposes in addition to being habitats for a wide diversity of flora and fauna. During the last three decades, all these lakes have deteriorated due to pollution, large scale encroachment and illegal constructions in their surroundings. Much research work has been carried on the growing state of deterioration of these lakes. The present state of deterioration and the ecological significance of these lakes tempted us to write a book on these lakes. This book provides a glimpse into the different lakes of Kashmir valley along with a discussion of their water chemistry, diversity of fauna, state of encroachment, deterioration the vision for their protection and restoration.

The main and important focus of the book is to address issues related to the deterioration of Kashmir lakes. This deterioration is mainly due to large scale encroachment and pollution. This book will raise awareness about plight of the important Kashmir lakes and the measures for their protection and restoration. Until now, there is no book or book chapter, or review available in the literature that reports the issues that we are addressing in this book. Besides, the research that has been carried out on Kashmir lakes has not been reviewed, and thus we are looking forward to reviewing the available literature on Kashmir lakes for the benefit of mankind and the scientific community.