Bio-digesters and houseboats

 

A large number of 910 houseboats are slated to be provided with the bio-digesters ostensibly as a big step to rid the already polluted Dal Lake and other water bodies of the menace of pollution as the Government had directed the designated department – the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority – to install the same in identified houseboats. As a measure towards verifying and measuring the efficacy levels of such ”digesters” at random basis, a few were installed last year but since most of such houseboats remained vacant with virtually no occupancy, the testing etc could not be done hence this pilot project could not go ahead in covering the houseboats. When would be the mandatory ”testing” be done so as to have the project made workable and the desired results obtained, is not known as at present .However, now that there is a good number of tourists visiting Kashmir most of whom prefer to stay in houseboats , the process of testing could be undertaken which should be done as the opportunity is felt ripe for such testing so that further delay in implementing the promising project could be avoided. Let the experience with the Tailbal Houseboats numbering 100 be not repeated in the houseboats floating on the waters of the Dal Lake.