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| Lakes in Kashmir need special attention | | |
While the information given by the Housing, Urban Development and
Forest Minister, Tariq Hameed Qarra, in the state assembly on March 15
last that international agencies have in principle agreed to fund the
preservation and conservation of Mansar and Wullar lakes in J&K is an
encouraging development, the report submitted by him two days earlier,
in the Legislative Council about the deteriorating position of Dal
Lake in the Srinagar city, was highly disturbing. That the depth of
Dal Lake, which is the lifeline and a great source of tourist
attraction in the state has receded by over 12 meters during last 50
years will cause a great concern to all the protagonists of the
preservation and conservation of Dal lake. The depth of the lake near
Char Chinar has reduced from 45 feet to 35 feet in front of Kabootar
Khana the depth of the lake has come down to 1.28 meters. Further the
total area covered by the lake which was 15,961 kanals, in addition to
27,880 kanals in Estates Nandpora, Karpora, Asthal, Banigam, Gupt
Ganga and Habak Shampora has been reduced to almost one-fourth of it.
All this has been due to unchecked and uninterrupted encroachments on
the lake, which attracts tourists from all over the world. Besides
encroachments by some private parties by bringing the area under
cultivation, as well as residential purposes, the government too is
responsible for robbing the lake of its pristine glory. The
construction of Centur Hotel and Sher-e-Kashmir International
Convention Complex on the lake is a sort of ecological vandalism. It
scares on the face of any lover of ecology, environment and natural
beauty. The effluent and night soil from the hotel flows into the lake
water, causing its pollution. Similarly several hundreds of house
boats, dongas and residential accommodations having come up on the
lake are causing pollution of the water as well as a great danger to
the environment. About one lakh people dwell in the lake, flowing
their effluent in the water body, leading to all the harmful effects.
Although weedings and silt that accumulates in the water body is
deweeded regularly and desilting undertaken occasionally, the area of
the lake that has been encroached upon by various agencies calls for
harsh measures and strong actions to undo the negative factors. The
government's efforts in removing the encroachments are naturally
resisted by the people who have no alternative dwelling and who also
earn their livelihood from the lake. The government in the past had
chalked out a plan to settle the people to be uprooted from the lake
to alternative sites. Yet this has not solve the problem wholly with
political pressure brought to bear on the government. The preservation
and conservation of Dal lake should be taken by the government on top
priority. For this purpose the government has also set up a separate
Lake Development Authority. But unfortunately the bosses in the
authority have looted the public exchequer in the name of preservation
and conservation of the lakes. Hence hardly any tangible results have
been achieved. Since tourism is the mainstay of the economy of Kashmir
and Dal lake happens to be one of very important sites for tourist
attraction, all out measures to preserve it and restore its pristine
glory is highly imperative. |
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