Why has J&K shelved the Dal Lake restoration plan? | Explained

The Jammu and Kashmir government this month decided to shelve the ₹416.72-crore restoration and conservation plan for the famous Dal Lake in Srinagar. The decision was made public in the J&K Assembly in response to a question by ruling National Conference (NC) legislator Tanvir Sadiq. The government has now proposed an in-situ conservation plan that would allow the dwellers to live on the lake. The shelved restoration and preservation plan, introduced by the Manmohan Singh government in 2009, aimed to address key issues ailing the lake by shifting around 9,000 Dal Lake dwellers. It sought to tackle problems such as the shrinking area of the lake, depleting water quality, uncontrolled discharge of effluents into the water body and growing population.

What issues does Dal Lake face?

Over the past four decades, the lake has recorded an extreme decline in water quality due to anthropogenic pressures, according to a 2022 survey conducted by Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST). It warned of extreme pollution loads and encroachment in and around the lake, the incursion of invasive plants and animals leading to rapid degradation of water quality.

The study observed that untreated sewage discharged from several point and non-point sources has severely deteriorated water quality. The situation has been further exacerbated by deforestation, grazing, agriculture, and changes in land use and land cover patterns in the lake’s catchment area. The reduction in the number of inflows and internal water channels has also led to poor water circulation.

Nutrient enrichment of the lake water and sediments has caused extreme weed growth and altered the lake’s biodiversity, it warned.

What were the contours of the earlier proposal?

In 2009, the Manmohan Singh government approved the ₹416.72-crore plan, which envisaged the shifting of 9,000 families in the first phase to a new location in Srinagar’s Bemina area. Each Dal Lake family was offered a plot of land, ₹1.05 lakh for structure, and ₹3.91 lakh as one-time compensation. The colony earmarked for the Dal Lake dwellers, named Rakh-e-Arth, was located in a low-lying, flood-prone area of Bemina and required extensive land filling. With a significant amount spent on land filling, the government failed to fully establish basic facilities. This slowed down the pace of shifting of the lake dwellers.

According to official figures, around 1808 families were successfully rehabilitated in 17 years. “However, it has failed to yield tangible outcomes on the ground,” according to the J&K government.

It said the lake conservation efforts recorded only 27% of the goal.

What new measures are proposed?

In 2022, the J&K government set up a High-Level Committee, which proposed an in-situ conservation plan. It termed the Dal Lake dwellers an “integral part of the lake ecosystem”.

The J&K Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) has been directed to work out a comprehensive policy to implement in-situ conservation. It has also advocated that relocation and rehabilitation of left-out structures in the priority hamlets, however, will proceed concurrently in consonance with the present acquisition procedure in vogue. The government has identified 58 hamlets within the lake, of which six will be equipped with two modular Sewage Treatment Plants. Under the Prime Minister’s Development Package, an integrated management programme for the conservation of the Dal-Nigeen Lake ecosystem has been framed.

Officials said Kachri Mohalla within the lake already functions as a modern village. A Detailed Project Report has been drafted by the IIT Roorkee and an amount of ₹212.38 crore will be spent over a period of five years. The project aims to address sewerage issues in 28 internal hamlets, treat inflow from catchment areas, and dredge interior channels. It is currently awaiting final approval from the Finance Department, officials said. It also proposes widening the development of interior water channels for the revival of interior circulation and smooth navigation.