Mudassir Kuloo
Srinagar, Sep 23: Government is considering framing a fresh Detailed Project Report (DPR) with experts’ help for the conservation of Dal Lake.
The framing of new DPR for various Dal projects is under consideration, as there has been no visible improvement in the lake despite spending hundreds of crores of rupees over the years, an official of Housing and Urban Development Department said.
The official said that Pollution Control Board has also written to the government that a fresh DPR shall be framed for preservation of Dal Lake.
“There are three major projects for which new DPR may be framed in consultation with experts. The government is considering framing a comprehensive DPR whose implementation achieves desired results,” the official said.
The PCB has framed the report, a copy of which lies with The Kashmir Monitor, says that there was a need to relook on DPR prepared for conservation of Dal Lake in consultation with agencies CPCB, IIT Roorkee, LAWDA, SPCB to design a “comprehensive programme” for water quality management of the lake.
“A criterion has to be fixed on the basis of designated best use of Dal Lake besides framing standards for discharge of treated effluent from various STPs into Dal Lake keeping in view the assimilative capacity of water body to prevent lake from further degradation,” the report reads.
There are various schemes launched for the preservation of the lake without any desired results.
For the last 16 years, Rs 759 crore has been spent on conservation of Dal Lake.
Of this, Rs 400.96 crores have been allocated by the Central government for conservation of Dal Lake, while Rs 359.93 crores have been spent so far.
Recently, the High Court said that crores of rupees have been spent on Dal and no “fruitful results” have come out.
“Therefore, immediate measures are necessary before the situation is rendered hopeless. It is therefore, necessary to have an expert committee with most importantly the vision and the experience of having undertaken issues which involve wide spectrum, multidimensional assessment, evaluation and resolution,” the court observed.
Several studies have revealed that there has been no improvement in the quality of Dal waters over the years.
