Once home to a rich variety of migratory birds from Russia, Siberia and Central Asia, Gamaghar Lake near Lahore, Pakistan, has been driven to the verge of extinction by an ill-planned irrigation system. Inadequate drainage systems had led to high levels of waterlogging and salinity in nearby agricultural areas. To overcome this problem, Pakistan's Water and Power Development Authority undertook to lower the groundwater table by draining the waterlogged land. In the process, however, Gamaghar Lake was also drained, causing the wetland to shrink.