Shalbug wetland in central district of Ganderbal has come back to life after the Wildlife Department erected embankments for water retention. The move was made so that birds could sit and rest on these waters. In January, thousands of migratory birds could be seen flocking this wetland. The wetland, however, has come under great threat because of growing pollution and encroachments for agriculture land. The migratory birds come in huge numbers during the month of November from Central Asia and Russia. When they enter Kashmir Valley via Zojila Pass in the month of November, Shalbug wetland of Ganderbal is the first resting place for them. However, these migratory birds had stopped coming to the wetland because of its low water retention levels. A senior Wildlife official told this reporter that the delay was due to late embankments done by the local contractor who was supposed to improve the water retention infrastructure by November 2017. He added that the major threat of pollution was the flow of waste from the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS). The silt has still not been removed completely from the wetland, sources told this reporter. Shalbug wetland is the wintering area for migratory amatidae birds and is also breeding place for many varieties of waterfowl spices, according to the wildlife officials.