Located in the heart of Srinagar,Dal is perhaps urban Kashmirs most enduring oasis,and a timeless mascot for the Valleys breathtaking beauty. Even when guns boomed from its banks in the heydays of militancy,and wails of mourning wafted across its expanse,its waters stood out as a bastion of eternal peace and retained their serenity and the irresistible attraction. But the lake that withstood the ravages of time and the general environmental degradation is fast losing the battle of survival against its own people,who took advantage of the troubled situation over the past two decades to turn the swathes of its shimmering waters into landmasses. Already shrunk to 12 sq kilometres from its once 72 sq kilometres,the lake is under an unprecedented onslaught of encroachment. And government agencies like Lakes and Waterways Development Authority are doing little about it. There is however,one silver lining: the intervention of J-K High Court. When in July 2002,the High Court adopted the Dal in response to a Public Interest Litigation by a law student Sheikh Tahir Iqbal,the lake was in the throes of an all-out encroachment and the indiscriminate weed growth. Seven years on,a pro-active pursuit of the case by HC has turned Dal restoration into J-Ks most popular issue outside its treacherous politics and spawned a dedicated government-civil society effort for its conservation. Dal has not only been evacuated of scores of illegal structures projecting obnoxiously on its banks but also cleared of around 2 lakh trees which had eaten into three kilometres of its watery expanse. The close coordination on the case has institutionalised the Dal restoration effort in the state and turned it into a popular public issue. Recently,the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority and Srinagar Municipal Corporation have joined hands to carry out the drive. The two agencies would also get on board the various environmental NGOs who will provide their man power and the expertise for the effort. The other measures on the anvil are: Disposal of waste from hotels and houseboats,sustained de-weeding and the involvement of civil society. Last year,taking a serious note of the deteriorating condition of the Dal Lake,J-K Governor N N Vohra had set a deadline of March 2009 for completion of the mega Drainage and Sewerage Project for the Srinagar City which would stop the flow of effluents into the lake. Governor had also called for establishing a Task Force to ensure round the clock work on the scheme. In 2007,around two lakh trees were felled in deference to the court orders. There was also pressure from the environmentalists who believed that the trees were constricting the lakes waters. The government had planned to set up six sewage treatment plants to reduce the nutrients in the local effluent,and thus decrease flora growth. There is,however,a long,long way to go. A large number of trees felled have started to regrow. Despite standing court orders,the government has yet to act relocate and rehabilitate the Dal dwellers who pose a mortal danger to the lakes survival. Besides,the creeping encroachments along its banks and across its shrinking expanse threaten to turn the lake into a landmass. Time is ticking.
