J&K government installs trash booms to clean Dal Lake

SRINAGAR: Technology has come in handy to save Dal Lake.

Jammu and Kashmir government has installed floating trash booms to skim off plastic and other solid wastes. Trash boom acts as a barrier and prevents the solid waste from spreading. 

“Last year we had installed one trash boom in Nallah Ameer Khan. This year, we had installed four trash booms in Dal as well. These have been connected to the ramp. These act as barriers and do not allow the trash to spread. Later our men collect the trash and dispose it of accordingly,” Dr Bashir Ahmad Bhat, vice-chairman, Lake Conservation and Management Agency (LCMA) told The Kashmir Monitor.

Given the success rate of trash booms, LCMA is planning to install more devices in coming months . “We are planning to install more booms at different places to prevent solid waste from spilling into the lake,” said Dr Bhat.

Authorities have also intensified the solid waste collection in the lake. Earth Day Network (EDN), a global NGO, too has joined in . “We are collecting solid waste with the help of locals. We have constituted an Eco Development Committee (EDC) in Sofi Moholla. It is the first such initiative. It has evoked a huge response. In fact, this hamlet is  set to be declared  first `green village’  of the lake,” said Nadeem Qadri, J&K consultant, Earth Day Network (EDN).   

Spread over an area of 25 sqkm, the lake comprises floating gardens, built-up landmasses with human settlements, and houseboats. Divided into three basins — Hazratbal, Bod-Dal, and Nigeen, the lake is the source of drinking water for a large chunk of the population.

According to the 2020 report of the J&K Pollution Control Board, Srinagar city generates 201 million liters of sewage daily. However, only 53.8 million liters can be treated from the existing resources. Around 73 percent of the 201 million liters of sewage generated in the city goes into Dal Lake or Jhelum. 

Jammu and Kashmir government launched the `Save Dal Project’ in 2005 to conserve the lake.  However, the health of the water body is still a matter of concern.