Save Dal mission impossible?

Save Dal mission impossible?

for the people of Kashmir, the unbelievable is happening. Their famed Dal lake is dying before their eyes. The government says it is "committed" to save the lake, but ifs and buts rule the roost. One such attempt to save the lake was made in 1997 with the launch of the "Rs 500 crore Save Dal Project". The project was started after the state government sought help from the Union ministry of environment and forests ( mef ) to restore the lake to its former glory. This was during Saifuddin Soz's tenure as mef minister. Subsequently, Dal was accorded top priority under the National Lake Conservation Plan which includes 21 lake systems across the country.

A Project Feasibility Report ( pfr ) was prepared by the mef in consultation with the state ministry of housing and urban development and a separate body -- the Jammu and Kashmir Lakes and Waterways Development Authority ( j&klwda ) -- was set up to implement the project. According to the agreement, the Centre "agreed in principle" to shoulder the conservation expenditure amounting to Rs 297.90 crore, while the state decided to bear the rehabilitation expense of Dal dwellers estimated at Rs 194 crore.

But, two years later, the ambitious project has hardly made any headway. While Soz blames it on both the Central and state governments, state minister for housing and urban development Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari says, "Despite shortage of finances, we have released money. But the Centre has not kept its commitment." Meanwhile, scientists have started predicting the death of the Dal. Even Ansari, who is also chairperson of j&klwda , says, "Scientists say that Dal lake will be no more in 30 years, but I feel that it will die within 20 years."
The genesis of the problem The most serious threat to the lake comes from the swelling population within and on its periphery. The lake shelters 58 hamlets with a population of 50,000 people, who have property rights over 300 hectares (6,000 kanals ) of agricultural land and 670 ha (13,400 kanals ) of water area as per the socio-economic survey of 1986 conducted by the Urban Environment Engineering Department ( ueed ). All this has drastically reduced the size of the lake. According to ancient manuscripts, the lake area was 75 square kilometres in 1200 ad . This had been reduced to 10.56 sq km in 1983, says R D Kundanagar, director, research and development, j&klwda .

The government banned construction of huts and other structures on the lake and the periphery as early as 1978-79. But encroachments on the lake continued unabated. "This became possible only by greasing the palms of the officials concerned," sources in the j&klwda say. Besides, there are more than 1,400 houseboats on the lake, a j&klwda report says.

In the absence of Sewage Treatment Plants ( stp s), untreated sewage of Srinagar city also finds its way into the lake everyday. According to Ansari, "There was a plan to install an stp , estimated at Rs 100 crore, at Nishat Bagh to treat city effluents but due to financial constraints the work on this project is progressing at a slow pace."

"Although it is mandatory for hotels to install stp s, only one five-star hotel, has done so," Sarmad Hafiz, legal advisor of j&klwda , says. Wastes, including human excreta, from the houseboats and the hamlets in the lake are also emptied into it. The pfr notes that the water is contaminated by faeces. "An increase in the total faecal coliforms was recorded in the Boulevard area," the report says. "It has been found that the local population usually suffers from gastroenteritis," says Kundanagar.

Rich in phosphorous, sodium and potassium, the sewage provides natural fertilisers to aquatic weeds, which are, in turn, used by the people as manure for vegetable cultivation."The use of pesticides and fertilisers for vegetable cultivation in the catchment area and floating gardens on the lake have also increased the chemical content of the lake water," says A R Yousuf, reader, department of zoo-logy, University of Kashmir.

Then there is the problem of siltation. According to the pfr , the Dal receives 80,000 tonnes of flow annually. The heavy inflow of silt, sediments and nutrients from the catchment and peripheral areas of the lake has also resulted in reduction of the inflow of water and prolific growth of weeds. The red algae bloom in the lake - first noticed in 1993 - is just one example, say officials at j&klwda. The pollution is also taking a heavy toll on flora and fauna in Dal wetlands. Microorganisms have vanished altogether and the population of some indigenous fishes have also been reduced considerably, says Yousuf.
Plans gone awry
The 1997 Save Dal project was not the first such project aimed at conserving the lake. Conservation attempts were started some two decades ago. Between 1978 and 1997, Rs 71.60 crore was spent on various "Save Dal" projects under the aegis of ueed . However, nothing concrete has been achieved.

The current project envisaged acquisition of the land and water area, which the people living in the lake own. However, people living in the Dal say the property they own in the lake is ancestral. Says Soz, "Of course, there are some who have inhabited the Dal for over 100 years... and, yes, initially it was beautiful to produce vegetables and lotus in the Dal. But now it is getting out of hand and polluting the Dal so we have to get them out."

After much persuasion, the lake dwellers agreed to vacate, says Soz. The authorities approved a rate of Rs one lakh and Rs 30,000 for every 0.05 ha (one kanal ) of land and water area respectively, and a plot of land in a well-developed colony for every family. However, till March 1999, only 335 families (out of 6,000) had been shifted. This excludes 331 families shifted during 1978-97 under previous projects.

The new colonies are also far from developed. "We were shifted to Panch-karwari. Though we were paid Rs 8,000 for 0.05 hectare of land in the lake, the plot in Panchkarwari was pro-vided to us at Rs 20,000 in this colony. Our colony is still devoid of water and electri-city supply. And, while we were forced to vacate, around 50 shops were allowed to be raised illegally in the notified area," says Gulam Rasool, an elderly resident who was shifted some 12 years ago. Even the stipulated amount is hard to get. "On an average, one has to give 5 to 10 per cent commission to officials to get it approved," they say.

The relocated families also blame the authorities for failing to fulfil promises. "Every displaced family was assured a job for one member of the family as we were solely dependent on vegetable cultivation and cultivation of nadru (lotus stems). Not only were we deprived of it, no job was provided," says Mohammed Yousuf Sofi, president, Ithidia Committee, a conglomerate of relocated families. "Enough is enough. If the government will not listen to our pleas, we will go back to the Dal," says Bashir Ahmed Ashraf relocated at Ashraf colony.

Most of the men are working as casual labourers now. The condition of women, parti-cularly those involved in mat-weaving, are no better. The raw material is only available in the Dal. "Now it has become difficult to procure the raw material since our colonies are located on the city outskirts," says Begum Faizi a resident of Gulshanpora, Badamwari colony.

The interference of local politicians has worsened matters. It is alleged that some poli-ticians do not want the lake dwellers to be shifted fearing "erosion of their vote bank". Ansari, however, disagrees that politicians are creating hurdles, "It is some neo-business class and some rich men who do not want the lake dwellers to be resettled near their plush houses. Politicians have nothing to lose."

Conservation plans
The salient features of the latest conservation programme includes afforestation and soil conservation in catchment areas, trapping of debris and sediments from the catchment areas by constructing a basin, marginal dredging of all marshy areas, prevention of pollution by diverting sewage and drainage from settlements on the peri-phery of the lake and installing a sewage treatment plant and construction of green buffer areas along the lake.

Though the time limit for the completion of the project was expected to be four to five years, authorities say the project may get delayed. The whole project is in disarray following tremendous shortage of finances, say members of j&klwda . According to the latest j&klwda report, the Centre released Rs 50 crore to the state in 1997-98 and 1998-99 as against the promised Rs 200 crore. "The Rs 50 crore was released during my tenure," says Soz. "Though the ministry of environment and forests at the centre has always played games, but during my time I did not let them do so.

The present state government has failed to procure any more funds," he says. Of the Rs 50 crore, the state government has released only Rs 0.75 crore and Rs 18.25 crore in 1997-98 and 1998-99, respectively. From its own kitty, the state government provided only Rs 24.50 crore for rehabilitation. The j&klwda , in turn, has utilised Rs 5. 29 crore for rehabilitation and rest has been utilised on conservation.

Despite lack of finances, state officials point out that the de-weeding, dredging and aerating processes have shown results. Two aerators are being operated in parts of the lake where there is a profusion of red algae bloom.

The government has also procured two dredgers to regain the water body lost due to siltation. Says M Bhat of j&klwda , "In the initial stages, we have decided to get rid of the silt within 75 metres of the lake shores. But we will go beyond 75 metres in the course of time. So far, about 5.75 lakh cubic metres of silt has been cleared from the lake."

The government has also procured a weed harvester. However, despite the lake brimming with weeds, the harvester is used only twice a year. When asked why the harvester is not used more frequently to get rid of the weeds once and for all, Bhat says, "We will do it as and when required." And though the deweeders are rusting in the lake waters, Bhat feels there is a need for more such machines if the Dal is to be purged of this menace.

With inputs by Mridula Chettri.