Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has done the unthinkable. He has ordered a crackdown on encroachments along the water bodies. Earlier, people were hesitant to remove the encroachments. But LG Sinha has bitten the bullet and ordered a crackdown, which is a welcome step. The Lieutenant Governor has also called upon the citizens to preserve lakes, rivers, and other water bodies through community involvement. He is right when he says growth cannot be one-sided. Encroachment, pollution, climate change, and over-extraction are posing a significant threat to our rivers and lakes. The rapid depletion of natural resources and degradation of our ecology are posing a major challenge. There is a need to integrate economic growth and ecological integrity into government policy. LG has underscored that lakes and rivers are essential lifelines for humanity, and citizens must preserve them through community involvement. Dal Lake is Kashmir’s logo. It needs to be conserved. Much has been done to save the lake, and more needs to be done. During the last five years, work for the preservation of Dal-Nigeen Lake and in the catchment area has been undertaken in a mission mode. Dal Lake is attracting large numbers of domestic and international visitors. More than one-third of the lake has been rejuvenated, and vast areas were cleared of Lilies. The open expanse of the Dal Lake has been increased for the first time to more than 20.3 Sq Km, according to government estimates. A new sewage treatment plant worth Rs 306 crore is in the pipeline. The process has begun to launch the Rs 212 crore Integrated Management of Dal and Nigeen Ecosystem Project under the Prime Minister’s Development Package. This project will not only transform the lives of Dal residents but also boost tourism. A major initiative under the AMRUT scheme is underway to connect all houseboats to sewage treatment plants. These measures will go a long way to save our waterbodies, particularly our Dal and Nigeen Lakes. Having said that, the government needs to ensure that polluters are taken to task. We have seen people dumping waste in the waterbodies with impunity. This needs to be stopped. A mechanism needs to be evolved to prevent waste dumping. The dumping of waste needs to be made an unbillable offence. Unless exemplary punishment is awarded to the culprits, this menace will not stop. The government needs to enact a more stringent law to make waste dumping in rivers and lakes a criminal offence. River and lake beds should be declared notified areas or green belts. No construction should be allowed. Encroachment should be dealt with iron hands. Desperate times need desperate measures. We have to wake up now to save our future.
Save waterbodies
