Women row their boats carrying water chestnuts after harvesting them from Wular Lake, in Bandipora district, Tuesday. PTI
More than ten thousand families from the Bandipora district of North Kashmir depend on Wular Lake for chestnut extraction and fish.
The chestnut trade constitutes the major source of income for most families in villages located along the lake including Lankrishipora, Kunzpora, Kulhama, Garoora, Saderkoot, Banyari, Bakhchibal, Laharwalpora, Kanibathi, Kehnusa, Ashtangu, Kema and Zurimanz.
The edible part of the water chestnut is the swollen underwater stem scientifically known as corm.
A good proportion of the produce is dried to make chestnut flour which sells at a relatively higher cost.
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