Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Srinagar, Mar 21: Government is considering framing of a fresh detailed project report (DPR) in consultation with experts for the conservation of Dal Lake.
The framing of new DPR is under consideration as there has been rarely any improvement in the lake despite spending hundreds of crores over the years, an official of Housing and Urban Development Department said.
It has been seen that Lakes and Water Development Authority (LAWDA) and now named as Jammu and Kashmir Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) is only carrying out de-weeding around the Shar-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre as the centre has a distinction of hosting important functions both government as well as private.
Recently, the Centre allotted a sum of Rs 273 crore as grants towards rehabilitation of Dal and Nigeen lake.
An official LCMA said that around Rs 1000 crore has been spent for preservation of Dal Lake over the years. But the condition of the famed lake continues to deteriorate.
The official said that the Pollution Control Board has also written to the government that a fresh DPR shall be framed for preservation of Dal Lake.
“There are three major projects for which a new DPR may be framed in consultation with experts. The government is considering framing a comprehensive DPR so that its implementation achieves desired results,” the official said.
“A criterion has to be fixed on the basis of designated best use of Dal Lake besides framing standards for discharge of treated effluent from various STPs into Dal Lake keeping in view the assimilative capacity of water body to prevent lake from further degradation,” the official said.
The High Court in number of observations has said that crores of rupees have been spent on Dal and no “fruitful results” have come out.
Several studies have revealed that there has been no improvement in the quality of Dal waters over the years.
The official said the government departments were not given the real facts and manipulated the figures on Dal Lake. “LCMA is hiding the real figures about the Dal but there are some NGO which have been analyzing the water quality of the lake and said its quality has deteriorated,” the official said.
Dal Lake is the second largest lake in J&K and is divided into four basins Small Dal, Big Dal, Gagribal and Nigeen besides small and big Dal, each having an island in the center known as Rup or Charchinari.
