Forest Minister Lal Singh is alarmed by the environmental degradation and shrinking of the Wular lake in north Kashmir and believes that saving Asia’s largest fresh water lake is must for the survival of Kashmir.
Lal Singh has visited the lake several times and assessed the causes that have led to the shrinking of the lake from astonishing 130 sq km to 24 sq km and the flaws that continue to contribute to its deterioration. This, he underscores, is a serious situation for the Valley. He has embarked on an environmental journey to save the lake for the survival of Kashmir valley.
There was lot of corruption before he undertook the assessment of the lake for there was no accountability and no supervision of the dredging work in and around the lake. There also was no clear idea as to cut and dispense with lakhs of willow trees standing on the marshland to which the lake has been reduced.
Lal Singh, in a candid conversation with Kashmir Post on Tuesday, said to expect that the lake could be restored to its original size of 130 sq km was unrealistic. “In 2014, when the floods covered 100 sq km of the Valley, it caused disaster and how can the new landscape of Kashmir accommodate 130 sq km of water without suffering the negative consequences. The encroachments, land mass and dwellings would suffer, so we will have to be realistic in organising the restoration plan of the lake.”
As per his plan, the first thing that needs to be done is to get rid of the five lakh willow trees. These trees have caused the damage to the lake. Not only the waters of the lake have been polluted and shrunk but these have also become a major source of concentration of all garbage, plastic and environmentally hazardous material of polythene and muck dotting the lake. “If you ask me, the lake has ceased to exist,” he says. “We have to revive the lake from zero,” he declared.
“The situation is alarming,” admitted Lal Singh. “I have vowed to eradicate all pollutants and the corruption that have strangulated the lake. With the help of people, I will save it. That’s my mission,” Lal Singh declared.
Lal Singh is known for his no-nonsense approach in which visible accountability and transparency matter the most.
He has drawn a multi-pronged plan in which there would be 350-foot wide and 34-km long bundh along the periphery of the lake. The bundh will be of earth drawn from the dredging of the soil. He has shared the details with the Cabinet and a panel of seven ministers is analysing it.
There would be a green area of 100-foot each on the either side of the bundh. Another 50 feet would be for ornamental and fruit plans, while another 50 feet for the environmentally friendly and clean eateries. The most fascinating thing would be earthen road for the battery cars, cycling and pedestrians. It will be out of bounds for all automobiles.
“Our focus at the moment is to filter the garbage on the sources of various rivers and rivulets that feed the lake. That garbage will be removed there. This will make the lake a really fresh water body. Saving Wular will help in regulating the water supply to the Valley and also generate electricity at the Uri power stations during winter. My primary source of help is the local people having the highest stake in reviving the lake,” he said.
Saving Wular Lake is must for survival of Kashmir: Forest Minister Lal Singh
