After conducting extensive surveys to measure the area of Dal lake, the Government has sought response from public to ascertain actual size of the water body.
On the directions of High Court monitoring the Dal lake, the Government has conducted several surveys including using satellite images to ascertain the area of the water body—which is bedeviled by encroachments.Amid conflicting figures about the actual area of Dal lake, the Government has taken the settlement record of in 1895 by then settlement Commissioner Sir Walter Lawrence as yardstick. In his settlement record, Lawrence had recorded total area of the lake as 9.9846 Sq miles (25.86 Sq. Kms) comprising water surface is 7,0346 Sq miles 18.21 Sq.Kms and 2.96 Sq miles (7.65 Sq. Kms) as Land Mass, fixed cultivation, habitation dembs etc.
Pertinently, Lawrence served in the Indian Civil Service in British India during which he was appointed as a first Settlement Commissioner of Kashmir. He authored The Valley of Kashmir (1895), a travel book on his visit to Kashmir. In the book, Lawrence describes geography, culture in brief and the hardships faced by the Kashmiri under the Dogras regime. The book according to Wikepedia is recognized “as the masterpiece of the history of Kashmir Valley.”
Officials said the survey conducted by Deputy Commissioner Srinagar shows the total area of the lake as 25 Sq.Kms comprising 19.83 Sq.Km water surface and 5.17 Sq.kms as Land Mass, fixed cultivation, habitation dembs etc, respectively. Satellite imagery in 2009 revealed that total area of the lake is 25.76 Sq. Kms comprising 20.21 sq.kms as water surface and 5.55 sq.kms as Land Mass, fixed cultivation, habitation, dembs respectively.
“The area of the lake is being continuously quoted by several people and organizations at various forums without making any reference to the authenticity of the figures and also is being published in newspapers thus creating confusion about the size of the lake. The only recorded reference to the area of the lake is the settlement record of 1895 AD by Sir Walter Lawrence (ref. Valley of Kashmir),” Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) states in its public notice.
“As per the orders of the Hon’ble High Court in PIL titled Syed Tahir Iqbal Geelani V/s State and others satellite images of the lake using Quick Bird Resolution were taken by the Remote Sensing Department of the State for the year 2009. On the directions of the Hon’ble High Court, the Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar conducted afresh comprehensive settlement/measurement of the lake area in the year 2009 using Electronic Total Stations (ETS) as the equipment of measurement. The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur did the measurement of the lake using GPS techniques in 2012 and their findings also match with the 2009 results.
“Till now the Authority has not come across any authentic record, other than as mentioned above, suggesting the area of the lake to be more than 50 Sq.Kms. It is hereby published for the information of general public and to have any feedback from anyone who may be having any authentic record in this regard. Whosoever, claims the lake to be of such size needs to keep in mind the existence and the location of landmark structures like centuries old shrines and limits of the city,” the notice states.
Vice-Chairman LAWDA, Sarmad Hafeez, said “the objective behind seeking response from public is to dispel misconceptions about actual area of Dal lake.”
“We have records, as old as 1885 of the then settlement Commissioner Sir Walter Lawrence, in which he measures the total lake as 25.86 Sq. Kms. It has been observed that people state different and even unrealistic figures to show the actual size of Dal. LAWDA and other government departments besides National Environmental Engineering Research Institute conducted surveys using latest remote sensing tools to ascertain the area of the Dal,” Hafeez said.
“There is not much difference between the total area since 1885. However, during past several years, the water expanse of the lake has considerably increased due to removal of habitations, land mass and vegetation in the water body. We believe that participation of people in conservation of Dal is imperative. We welcome any authentic record which shows the actual size of the lake,” he added
