This refers to your editorial ‘Getting Dal Right’ (24th Nov). It was an honest attempt to challenge the new policy of creating artificial wetlands near the inflow channels of the Dal Lake, which according to the experts of the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority, is a novel idea of arresting silt and nutrients into the Lake. I strongly agree with the views in the editorial that Dal is becoming a research lab for many amateur scientists and a green pasture for many swindlers. So far many experiments were carried out in the name of cleaning the Lake and every time our so-called scientists and research scholars have failed to achieve the desired goals. It is true that millions of dollars have been pumped into the lake out of which major portion went directly into the bank accounts of those who were the caretakers of this water body. The results were always horrible. Instead of purchasing expensive Truxor machines from Switzerland, we could have tried a desi method of extracting obnoxious weeds from the Lake. Let us give some economic importance to the obnoxious weeds in the Dal. Suppose Rs 10 a kilogram for unwanted weeds. It means if somebody will extract 1000 kgs a day we have to pay him Rs 10,000. Let us make this deal open for everyone. The interested persons can come and extract weeds from the Lake. If 1000 workers will extract hundred thousand kgs of weeds from the Dal then our total expenditure will not increase by 10 lac rupees. The cost of three Truxor machines manufactured at Switzerland is about 3.25 crores. The results are very disappointing.  It is high time for all of us to think the ‘unthinkable’ and encourage innovative experiments. As a nation we failed to manage a small water body. What will happen when we will be given more responsibilities? Please save the nature, save the Dal!
S. Fayaz Ahmad
Halmatpora, Kupwara
Research Scholar, CSSP/SSS
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 26 Nov 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:00:00 IST