Over the last several decades, Dal Lake has severely deteriorated, losing significant areas of open water and becoming increasingly shallow due to heavy siltation. 1. Manzoor Ahmad, 50, stands near his shop along an alleyway that was once a backwater channel of Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir, India. He recalls swimming and catching fish there as a child. Untreated sewage has contributed to severe pollution and environmental degradation. 2. An elderly Kashmiri fisherman paddles a traditional boat along a creek in Telbal toward the main waters of Dal Lake. Telbal Creek is the primary inlet, supplying approximately 80% of the lake's water. 3. Kashmiri vendors push a handcart loaded with freshly harvested water lily stems (bum) along the banks of Dal Lake. Residents harvest the stems and leaves to sell as green fodder for cattle. 4. Young boys walk along a pathway toward a hamlet in Dal Lake's interior, passing a floating excavator in a weed-choked backwater channel. 5. A man crosses ...