Two lakes surrounded by the high Himalaya Mountains are remnants of a much larger ancient lake in India’s Kashmir Valley. While the freshwater lakes are some of the largest in the Jammu and Kashmir region of northern India, in recent years they have been in decline.
The two lakes—Wular and Dal—are visible in this image, acquired on June 23, 2020, by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8. Both lakes regulate water flowing down from Himalayan glaciers and along the Jhelum River, supplying water for drinking and irrigation.
Dal, in the lower right of the image, is the smaller of the two water bodies. Dal is located in the heart of Srinagar—the largest city in the valley. Floating house boats, markets, and marshes lure tourists to the lake. It is surrounded by terraced gardens—laid out in the 16th and 17th century by Mughal emperors—that are lined with fountains and planted with a variety of flowers, herbs, and aromatic plants.
Read More: NASA Earth Observatory
Photo Credit: Wanmei Liang