M A I N   N E W S

‘Jewel of Srinagar’ on way to regain its glory
Dal Lake is being cleared of silt, weeds and encroachments
Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 2
Steadily but surely, the “Jewel of Srinagar” is on path to regaining to its pristine glory. The Dal Lake, which attracts lakhs of tourists each year, has largely been cleared of silt, weeds, sewerage and encroachments that was choking it for decades.

Under a Rs 1,100-crore project funded by the Central and the state governments, the Jammu and Kashmir Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (JKLWDA) went in for a multi-pronged approach, tackling several issues crucial to preserving the water body and its environs.

A detailed project report compiled in collaboration with the IIT Roorkee had highlighted several problems that included shrinkage in area due to encroachments, siltation, increased pollution from untreated sewerage and solid waste from houseboats and the surrounding habitations, clogging of water channels and excessive weed growth.

Management of the lake’s catchment area was important to check soil erosion and degradation. Large-scale afforestation and development of wetlands is underway with plantations having been done in 2,500 out of the planned 4,000 hectares. The JKLWDA has also been successful in reviving 58 of the 59 underground springs that feed the lake. Check dams have also been built.

Sewerage treatment is a major component of the project, calling for six treatments plants and a number of pumping stations. About 26,000 meters out of the proposed 28,000 meters of main truck sewers and 66,000 meters out of 77,800 meters lateral and secondary sewers have been laid, connecting hundreds of houses on the lake’s periphery. As many as 16 drains have been diverted into the treatment plants.

About 2.5 lakh people reside in enclaves within the water body and in the localities on the lake’s periphery. In addition, there are about 950 houseboats whose sewerage and solid waste goes into the lake. About 1.5 tonnes of solid waste and garbage is being removed from the lake daily.

Automated dredgers, lake-cleaning machines, skimmers, crawl cats, weed harvesters, barges and truxors have been procured from the USA, Austria and Finland to help clear the water body of weed and silt. About 1,15,000 cubic meters of weed was removed this year.

The JKLWDA also cleared hundreds of hutments and encroachments that had cropped up on the lake bed. The inhabitants of these areas are being rehabilitated. The Central and state governments propose an expenditure of over Rs 400 crore for the purpose. Died up areas and that has been silted have been dredged and 12 out of 38 clogged-up water channels, which were important flushing routes, have been reopened.

Though a lot has been done, more remains to be done. A major unresolved issue is sewerage disposal by houseboats, which are yet to install truck sewerage systems that would prevent discharge into the lake. “Chemical analysis reveals that the quality of water around houseboats is an area of concern. Houseboat owners, too, have a certain responsibility and we have some expectations from them,” Irfan Yaseen Shah, LWSA vice chairman, said. “The government is the only agency working for restoration of the lake while others are largely vandalising it. A collective effort with active participation and support from the locals is required to maintain and sustain the lake, but they are indifferent,” he added.