Srinagar, Feb. 15: Authorities have started dredging work in the northern part of Dal Lake, under the lake conservation program, to restore its shoreline.
Following the completion of dredging in Hazratbal Basin, the Lakes Conservation and Management Authority (LC&MA) has started dredging from the northern side. The heavy machinery has been relocated to the northern side of the lake (Laam area), where work is currently underway.
LC&MA officials told Rising Kashmir that in Phase 1, the LC&MA Department began dredging along the lake's shoreline in the Laam area for approximately 2 kilometers to achieve an average depth of approximately 1.5 meter. The stretch to be covered under Phase 1 is from the NPL bund to Kral Sangri.
Executive officer, LC&MA, Shakeek Fazili, said the lake’s condition on this side is very bad, which gives the wrong impression to tourists as most tourists visit this place to see Kashmir’s houseboats.
The officer stated that at the moment, this area is only 1-2 metres deep, whereas the lake's actual depth is 8–11 feet. "The dredging process on this side has been restarted after a gap of 22 years, and no dredging has taken place in the last more than two decades, resulting in the area becoming full of silt."
The officer said that dredging and cleaning the lake are their top priorities, and they will complete it as soon as possible. “There are also other programmes that would be implemented for the benefit of Dal Lake. Other parts would be taken for dredging after the northern side is completed.”
The northern side of the lake was the most affected, and higher officials in the department have taken special note of the restoration work on this side, he concludes.