Nallah Mar

Nallah Mar or Mar Canal (also known as Mar Kol) was a navigational canal running through the old city of Srinagar in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It connected the Brari Nambal lagoon to the Khushal Sar lake and thus provided navigability between the Dal and Aanchar lakes. It was filled up and converted to a road in the 1970s. Once regarded as the lifeline of the city, it served vital functions in transportation, drainage, and urban life by linking Brari Nambal with Khushal Sar and other water bodies. Lined with stonework and arched bridges, its banks supported a bustling network of workshops, ghats, and stilted homes. However, in the 1970s, the canal was filled to create a road through the old city, an act now widely viewed as an ecological misstep that disrupted Srinagar’s water system and contributed to increased flood risks.