DAL LAKE (JAMMU & KASHMIR)
Lying between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal range is the Kashmir Valley. Its principal centre of attraction is the magnificent body of water, known as Dal Lake. Unlike the other lakes, it is not an unbroken sheet of water and is divided, by causeways, into four basins called Gagribal, Lokut Dal, Bod Dal and Nagin Lake. There are two islands, one each in the centre of Lokut Dal and Bod Dal, known as “Rup Lank” (or Char Chinari) and “Sona Lank” respectively. The labyrinthine water channels in the lake are formed by the reclaimed parts of the lake over the years to create floating plots of land, known as “floating gardens”, for vegetable cultivation.
The lake’s novel features are the intricately carved and sumptuously furnished wooden houseboats and the delicate gondola-like flat-bottomed punts called shikaras. Both are all-time favorites with tourists. The first houseboat was introduced in 1888. Now more than 600 of them are on the lake and the river providing lodging to tourists.
Despite its idyllic location and scenic charm, the Dal is in a pitiable state because of pollution. Unplanned growth of Srinagar, continuing encroachment of the lake’s periphery and the proliferation of floating gardens have considerably reduced its area. The land survey records of 1850 show its area as 25 square kilometers. It has now shrunk to less than half, roughly 12 square kilometers. Heavy silting because of the debris from large-scale constructions on its shores and the silt from denuded catchments have considerably reduced its depth. Nagin basin is the deepest with a depth of approximately 6 meters. Elsewhere, the depth is less than 3 meters.
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Floating gardens add another hazard to the lake’s waters. Made by reclaiming lakebed soil, these gardens are spread over an area of around 20 square kilometers. About 1,000 farming families grow vegetables on them using chemical fertilizers. The run-off from these plots adds hazardous chemical residues to the lake’s waters.
The Dal is afflicted by three major problems of city’s sewage, water hyacinth and silt. Srinagar had no sewage treatment facility for long. The waste from the city and the houseboat’s empty directly into the lake making it one of the heavily polluted mountain lakes anywhere in the world. However, a ring of 6 sewage treatment plants around the lake is planned to trap and treat the solid waste. Of the six, two plants are functional while four are under construction. There is also a proposal to provide floating septic tank for each houseboat to collect the solid waste.
Coordinator: Syed Ishrat Hussain, President, Global Green Peace, Srinagar;
Email: ishratggp@gmail.com
