Sajidah Yousuf
Srinagar, Sep 8: Authorities have said that the encroachment due to unplanned urbanization, tourist activities and improper boundary along the western periphery of Dal Lake were some of the major causes for its degradation.
According to the Master Plan-2035 public policy document, some of the causes for degradation of Dal Lake were improper boundaries defined along western periphery.
Stating some other causes of its degradation, the master plan suggests that the encroachment due to unplanned urbanization and tourist activities was also one of the main reasons.
“Drastic change in land use and land cover of catchment area, reduction in volume by siltation mainly due to catchment area degradation and increased pollution because of the increasing number of lake dwellers and floating gardens were also some of the factors that led to the degradation of the lake,” it reads.
The master plan 2035 also states that the entries of untreated sewage and solid waste from the peripheral areas and from the hamlets, house boats and agricultural return flow from the catchment into the lake are the additional factors of its degradation.
Stating the dearth of infrastructure to preserve the essence of Dal Lake, the authorities have further mentioned that the lack of adequate infrastructure that includes sanitation infrastructure of Dal dwellers and catchment areas as well as lack of integrated planning and weak inter-sectoral coordination were the reasons for its degradation.
The authorities however have recommended that it may permanently lose the water body if measures are not taken to firmly define the boundaries followed by types of actions— treatment within and outside the lake to protect it from being depleted by inside or outside demands to preserve this precious treasure of Kashmir valley.
