This is the lake on the outskirts of Srinagar city and is almost on the verge of death as marsh and mud have slowly turned into dumping ground while encroachment has been taking place over decades with politicians cashing on the vote bank and giving damn to the lake. The condition of Dal Lake or even Nigeen Lake is worsening while Anchar is at a point of no return. After Anchar, Khushaalsar and Gilsar will follow it in being turned into mohallas of illegal settlements. The Union Territory administration has finally decided to restore and rejuvenate the dying lakes. An amount of Rs 4.86 crore has been earmarked for the Anchar Lake project. The Srinagar administration should adopt a community-level approach to reach out to the people so that the stakeholders to join this project to bring back the pristine glory of the water body. The aim has to be to restore the original historic water navigation circuit in the whole Srinagar area which is a need of the hour. The authorities should immediately undertake demarcation of boundaries along the Anchar Lake from Zoonimar to Jenab Sahib Soura so that its original width is restored. The Irrigation & Flood Control department has to start work of dredging/desilting in the Lake to restore and rejuvenate its original glory. The encroachment from Jenab Sahib Soura and Umerhair Buchpora area should be stopped and removed along the banks of Anchar Lake and for its restoration, an action plan must be prepared. The Anchar Lake is connected with Dal Lake via Nallah Amir Khan, which passes through Gilsar and Khushal Sar lakes. This lake has shrunken in length and width due to the encroachment and dumping of filth and garbage into the Lake over the past several decades. As per a study, more than 50% of water bodies in and around Srinagar have disappeared during the past century and this has been attributed to human interference and rapid urbanisation which is taking a heavy toll on water bodies. All lakes in Srinagar get silted due to massive erosion in the catchment area and thereby turn into land masses. There is an estimate which shows that Dal Lake, a major tourist attraction, has shrunk from 2,547 hectares in 1971 to 1,620 hectares in 2008. The degradation of lakes would invite disaster for those living there as dwellers have to be relocated and slowly the impact would be on Dal and Nigeen, the major tourist attraction as the human interventions, particularly encroachments, has ruined the stability of the lakes.