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| LAWDA watches helplessly | | 300 illegal constructions, Azolla choke Dal | | ET Report
Srinagar, Sept 24: Besides throwing life out of gear in the Valley, the on-going agitation has dealt a severe blow to Dal Lake's conservation measures. Around three hundred illegal constructions and spread of Azolla weeds have threatened the very existence of the lake. Environmentalists warn that further delay in conservation measures will facilitate the Azolla to spread across the water body and engulf it completely.
Conservation measures being undertaken by the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) have been hampered due to curfews and restrictions. The works including construction of Sewage Treat Plant at Nallah Amir Khan, laying of lateral sewers, development of Rakh-e-Arth land for rehabilitation of Dal dwellers have been badly hit by the unrest.
The LAWDA has abandoned the deweeding and dredging of the lake. According to experts, the spread of Azolla can threaten flora and fauna in the lake as it hampers sunlight. Besides the machines, the LAWDA used to utilize the services of nearly 500 lake dwellers for manual de-weeding.
This has been abandoned as well. The LAWDA officials say they were threatened by unidentified persons who told us in clear terms to abide by the strike calls. "Even when we continued, the troopers didn't allow us to dump the weeds on the Boulevard for subsequent loading into trucks saying curfew was in place. So we were forced to suspend our operations," an official said.
Strikes and curfew restrictions have given a free hand to the unscrupulous elements. They have undertaken massive constructions in the interiors of the lake. The trucks have been seen unloading construction material near the Dal banks in Rainawari, Saida Kadal, Nigeen and Nishat. It is then ferried by shikaras to respective destinations in the lake. Many structures have already come up and even painted to camouflage them as old constructions. As the movement of officials in restricted due to the curfew, the constructions are going on smoothly," concerned people said.
The vice-chairman of Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA), Irfan Yasin, acknowledged that the unrest has affected the lake's conservation measures. "We had managed to given new lease of life to the lake by scientific interventions and checking inflow of sewage. But the police force made available to us by the government has been taken back to enforce curfew in the city and elsewhere. We have no police force to enforce our writ. So the question of checking illegal constructions does not arise for the time being". |
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