Dal Lake, known as Mahasarit in ancient times, in its present state is an appalling example of human greed, environmental and ecology disaster, loot of funds and what not. Once a 75 sq km lake has been reduced to less than 18sq km and had the PIL not been filed most probably it would have disappeared by now. CM after CM expressed concern, DPRs made, grants of almost one thousand crores siphoned off yet nothing has changed on ground. Separated into four parts-Lokut Dal, Bod Dal , Gagribal and Nageen(treated as separate lake) has two islands Rup Lank(Char Chinari), Sona Lank with input flow from Talbel Nullah from Tarsar and out flow from Dal Gate and Maer Nullah, now almost nonexistent, fluctuating pH value, fluctuating oxygen level, many times excess nitrogen content, numerous hamlet with lakhs of people living directly on banks or in-around Dal, more than 1200 house boats and numerous hotels with direct sewage discharge in Dal. After much hue and cry five sewage treatment plants (STP) at Hazratbal with 7.5 MLD capacity, Laam with 4.5 MLD, Habak with 3.2 MLD, Brari Nambal with 16.1 MLD and Nalai Amir Khan with 5.4 MLD were constructed, at different time span, but of no use during rains or in no electricity situation with the results weed, thousands of tons of silt, red algal bloom, pesticides and fertilizer and what not getting into Dal, net result vanishing micro organism, depleting fish with many species already extinct, ever shrinking area despite thousand of crore already spent on Dal conservation. First Conserve Dal project was introduced in 1997 with around Rs 500 crore grant and even after that hundreds of crores more were given under National Lake Conservation Policy, Prime Ministers Reconstruction Program and other schemes. With Monitoring Committee, Scientific Advisory Committee and Court Committee, Committee of Experts put in place but nothing changed the present condition of Dal as official apparatus is still intact. Project Dole Demb to shift house boats from front to back is also in limbo as shelter sheds, proper drainage system, piped water facility, electricity for houseboats and several other things, including proper bio-digesters for each of the houseboat are nowhere in sight. In decades different proposals like oil, bio-gas, bio-fertilizer from weed, creation of artificial wetlands from silt, bio-filters, PPP and BOT model proposals and what not sold to Kashmir public but in the end it all proved to be just ‘Mungeri Lal Ke Haseen Sapne’. Practically name of restoration agency changed from LAWDA to LCMA but fate of Dal remains unchanged. While focus have been on weeding and dredging but real problem seems to be tons of phosphates, nitrates and silt going into Dal every year as root cause, weed is just a side effect. Conservation of Dal is going on and on but only in staggered manner with no coordination among the departments. This is obvious from replies Jammu and Kashmir High Court is getting during court proceedings with LCMA, Divisional Commissioner, Revenue Department, HUDD, Kashmir Tourism, Municipality all passing on the buck, date after date, with no tangible plan on ground. Latest is many hotels located along Dal Lake are without any sewage treatment facility, just a soakage pit and the septic tank, both ineffective as such sewage directly flowing in the Dal Lake. Many hotel owners are ready to move or close but there is no Rehabilitation and Relocation policy of Commercial units in place right now.
Court is earnestly trying to set right the things and despite GoI and LG Administration spending crores to build musical fountains, laser shows, floating theatre, complete revamping of Boulevard road to name few for beautification, but the fact is Dal is still dying, sooner or later, it is just question of time.
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