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| Neglected by successive Govts, Mansar lake struggles for survival | | Govt sits on Master plan for development of lake | |  Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Early Times Report
Jammu, May 21: Mansar Lake, the historical religious tourism destination and one of the largest freshwater lakes in the Jammu region, is struggling to survive due to negligence of successive governments.
Sources told Early Times that despite having a religious significance and being among the best picnic spots of Jammu region, the Government never showed its keenness in the development of this lake.
Sources said that though the Master Plan for the development of the lake was framed but till date nothing has been done in this regard.
Sources said that the Surinsar and Mansar Tourism Development Authority which was created 11 years back, has also not done much for the development of this religious lake.
"Mansar is a cause of concern for environmentalists who apprehend that this famous lake may extinct some day as its area is shrinking day by day due to negligence of the successive Governments, who failed to initiate any concrete plan for its development and protection over the years on the pattern of Dal and other lakes of Kashmir valley," sources maintained.
Visitors told Early Times that plastic bottles and polythene bags can be seen everywhere in the lake.
"The water body is slowly poisoned by the use of pesticides in the surrounding farmland, direct influx of untreated sewage water and solid waste generated by eateries and hotels," the visitors maintained.
One of the Professors who had conducted a research on lake said that pollution due to human action was alarming at the lake. "Pollution and decline in rainfall during the monsoon for the past few years are a major worry for the health and future of lakes. If there is a drought for an extended period, the lake may slowly dry up," the professor had said.
"Rainfall has declined but the needs of people have increased. The government has constructed drains to channelize rainwater but no plan has been made to prevent sewage water from hotels and houses from going into the lake," said one the social activists.
Sources said that regarding pacing up of works committed by the PDP- BJP government; no headway has been made in this regard.
The local residents said that its space is shrinking day by day now.
"Thirty years back the water of the lake touched the foot path as well as the path of temple and people going to pay obeisance at the holy temple had to cross through water but now this entire portion is dry and water level receded up to four feet from the foot path", said R. K Razdan a local resident.
Source said that the lake is in a dying state at present and it will dry up one day in case the Government continues to neglect it.
The weeds have grown in the lake and unlike Dal lake there is no plan of removing moss, weeds and other form of water plants from them, sources maintained
Sources said that there is also no proper coordination between various Government agencies responsible for maintenance and development of the lake.
They included the Mansar, Surinsar Development Authority, Wild Life Authority, Tourism Department and the R&B Department. This is one of the main handicaps in the development of the lake as one of the best tourist spots of Jammu region.
"It is unfortunate that Wildlife Department under whose jurisdiction the lake falls are not discharging its bonafide responsibility instead has adopted a posture of a mute spectator to allow destruction vandalizing of flora and fauna beside encroachment of the area at large scale," sources maintained.
Need of the hour is to remove sewerage into these lakes and encroachments besides developing on scientific lines.
Sources said that few years back when Atul Dullo was Commissioner Tourism had offered a substantial sum for afforestation to wildlife department which did not materialized later for reasons better known to the department.
However the officials said that lot of headway has been made so far as the development of this water body is concerned. |
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