Authorities in Srinagar on Thursday advised people not to walk on the frozen surface of water bodies, especially the Dal Lake, underlining that it could be dangerous.
Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said that SDRF teams have been deployed to dissuade locals from taking to such risky adventures. “Walking on frozen Dal Lake could be dangerous. Pl [please] avoid it. (SDRF teams deployed for safety),” he said in a tweet.
Replying to him, a renowned doctor said that almost 50 per cent of drowning victims are children less than nine years old playing on the ice, GNS reported.
“The majority of victims drowning while in vehicles, such as snowmobiles, are young adults less than 24 years old,” the doctor added.
Srinagar recorded the lowest night temperature last night after more than 25 years as mercury settled at minus 8.4°C in the capital city. It follows minus 7.8°C on the night earlier as a result of which parts of the Dal Lake and other water bodies have frozen.
The freezing of the Dal Lake also refreshes memories of times when the former prime minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir Bakshi Ghulam Muhammad drove his jeep on the frozen lake almost six decades ago. It is said that Bakshi drove the jeep for about 20 minutes near the Hazratbal coast of the Lake, the flagship of Kashmir’s tourism.
As per locals, the Dal Lake wore a festive look then as people from all corners of the Valley cherished walking over the frozen crest which some people say was very thick.
In 2018, videos emerged that some boys were playing cricket on the fringes of the water body following which the then deputy commissioner Srinagar issued an advisory, asking people, especially youth, not to resort to such dangerous adventure. The police had underscored that it was not bravery to walk over the frozen parts of the lake as it could be fatal.