Indian Kashmir used to be a place people compared to mythical Shangri-La–verdant and unspoiled. And Nigeen Lake, in a green valley surrounded by the Himalayas, is considered by waterways officials to be the least polluted waterway in the city of Srinagar (population 1.3 million).
Nigeen is important for tourism, recreation, and the city’s image, but a recent fish kill left thousands of dead fish in the lake. The deaths were attributed to the depletion of oxygen, flucuation of temperature and flow of untreated sewage into the lake.
An aquatic plant harvester used to clean the lake of an over abundance of aquatic vegetation and weeds was used to pick up and collect the dead fish.