Sewage treatment plant pollutes Srinagar's Dal Lake

Failure to check the malfunctioning of a sewage water treatment plant has led to the famous Dal Lake here being polluted.

The sewage treatment plant was built near the lake in 2006 to ensure that polluted water in the adjoining areas could be treated and used.

The urban lake is the second largest in the state, and is integral to tourism and recreation in the Kashmir Valley.

Nazir Ahmad, a businessman, blamed the authorities for the deteriorating condition of the lake.

"There is so much of grass in the Dal Lake as of now because the water which reaches the lake here acts as a fertilizer which helps it to grow further. Tourists too are affected by this and they don't want to stay in the houseboats," said Ahmad on Friday.

The government had spent huge money on the project aimed to control the pollution with the help of sewage treatment plant which was made under the supervision of qualified engineers.

Unfortunately due to leakage in the pipes of the sewage treatment plants the lake is shrinking in size and during rainy season the life of the dwellers on the lake becomes miserable due to bad odour.

Mohammad Yusuf Chapri, a houseboat owner, also lamented the poor state of the lake.

Kashmir was once dubbed the Switzerland of the east. It was once a Mecca for climbers, skiers, honeymooners and filmmakers drawn to the state's soaring peaks, fruit orchards and timber houseboats bobbing on Dal Lake in Srinagar.