Srinagar, Aug 25: Efforts to salvage the Dal Lake have received a major jolt as the conservation measures to restore its glory have been drastically affected due to the ongoing unrest in the Valley for past over two months.
While constructions are taking place in the Dal’s interior areas, the problem has been compounded by sprouting of obnoxious water fern Azolla in many parts 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.
Sources said major 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.
Officials said the unbridled influx of silt and nutrients into the lake from its catchments have led to spurt in growth of Azolla in the lake near the Northern Foreshore Road. Experts said the thick layers of Azolla are harmful for the Dal as it blocks sunlight to its flaura and fauna, which ultimately will cause their decay. Incidentally, due to the continuous restrictions, the LAWDA has not been able to even undertake the routine de-weeding and dredging in the lake.
Besides the machines, the LAWDA used to utilize the services of nearly 500 lake dwellers for manual de-weeding. “However, we had to abort the de-weeding as our drivers and laborers were threatened by some unidentified persons to strictly 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.
Taking undue advantage of the prevailing situation, some unscrupulous lake dwellers are undertaking constructions particularly in interior areas of Dal. Sources said the construction material is ferried into the lake during night without any hassle.
“The trucks unload the 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,” sources said. Incidentally even during the Amarnath land row, the lake witnessed massive constructions.
Pertinently, the High Court monitoring the Dal conservation has placed blanket ban on any sort of construction in the lake and within 200 metres of its periphery.
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. The authority was also successful to import sophisticated machines and use them effectively for dredging landmass. As a result not only the water quality but aesthetic beauty of the lake improved a lot. Unfortunately due to unrest during past two months, our conservation efforts have been hampered,” he said.
The VC said measures were underway to gear up the conservation measures. “We will be working round-the-clock to make up for the past two months. But people who hamper our work need to understand that Dal can’t afford to even lose a single day. We have prepared list of the encroachers and given an ultimatum to them to themselves demolish the structures. We will soon be launching a demolition drive and take action against the offenders,” he said.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
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