Srinagar’s iconic Dal Lake shrinking rapidly: Report
Srinagar: The world-famous Dal Lake in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir is shrinking at an alarming pace, with its water spread declining by over 10 percent in recent years.
According to Kashmir Media Service, a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has expressed serious concern over the deteriorating condition of this historic water body in the occupied Kashmir Valley.
The report revealed that between 2007 and 2020, the open water area of Dal Lake declined from 15.40 square kilometres to just 12.91 square kilometres, registering a decrease of approximately 10.15 percent.
It warned that the ongoing changes pose a serious threat to the lake’s ecological balance and attributed the decline to factors such as increasing human interference, an inefficient sewage system, and weak monitoring mechanisms.
The report further noted that while the open water area is shrinking, there has been a significant rise in floating vegetation, encroachments, agricultural activity, and construction, all of which are degrading the lake’s natural structure.
The CAG also observed that the Lakes Conservation and Management Authority has failed to effectively control these changes or conduct proper investigations into their underlying causes.
It highlighted that several sewage treatment plants (STPs), established to prevent untreated wastewater from entering the lake, are not functioning according to required standards. As a result, domestic, commercial, and houseboat waste continues to flow into the lake, further worsening its water quality.
The report added that the completion of the sewage management system has been delayed for several years, exacerbating the environmental crisis facing the lake.
