Jammu, April 10 The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has highlighted significant changes in land use and water cover of the iconic Dal Lake, pointing to a decrease in the water body from 15.40 square kilometers in 2007 to 12.91 square kilometers in 2020, representing a 10.15% decline over 13 years.
The CAG recommended a comprehensive lake management policy to ensure the effective functioning and upgrade of sewage treatment plants (STPs) to ensure proper treatment of sewage and solid waste entering the lake.
"The data shows that from 2007 to 2020, the water body decreased from 15.40 to 12.91 square kilometers (10.15%), while submerged vegetation and open water increased from 5.262 to 6.796 square kilometers (6.23%), along with crop land and plantations from 2.29 to 2.85 square kilometers (2.27%), and built-up areas from 0.743 to 1.025 square kilometers (1.15%)," the report stated.
The CAG report on the conservation and management of lakes in the Union Territory for the year ending March 31, 2024, stated that vacant land, with or without vegetation, decreased from 0.40 to 0.36 square kilometers (0.17%) due to dredging of some acquired land. This decrease in open water area came at the expense of other land use changes.
The CAG noted that the shifting land use pattern reflects increasing pressure on the lake ecosystem, with shrinking open water and expanding human-induced activities altering its ecological balance.
The CAG observed that the Lakes Conservation and Management Authority (LC&MA) did not take concrete measures to regulate land use, nor did it adequately analyze the reasons for these changes.
Audit findings attributed the deterioration to the non-acquisition of land from Dal Lake residents, malfunctioning STPs, failure to control pollution inflows, improper weed removal, and weak monitoring.
As a result, the inflow of nutrients increased, leading to excessive weed growth and further shrinkage of the lake's open water area, the report added, noting that encroachments in areas like Mir Behri, Lati Mohalla, and Nandapora contributed to the expansion of floating gardens and habitation.
The audit also highlighted serious deficiencies in the implementation of conservation programs under the National Lake Conservation Programme (NLCP) and the Prime Minister's Reconstruction Programme (PMRP).
"Key activities such as installation and upgrading of STPs, solid waste management, sewer networking, relocation of houseboats and hotels, catchment management, and rehabilitation of Dal Lake residents were either delayed or inadequately executed," the report stated.
Despite an expenditure of over Rs 45 crore on STPs, the audit found that sewage was not treated according to prescribed standards, resulting in continued deterioration of water quality. "Untreated waste from households, houseboats, and hotels continued to flow into the lake due to incomplete sewer networks and delays in connecting households and houseboats to treatment systems," the report added.
The report further highlighted underutilization of funds, ranging from Rs 48.63 crore to Rs 280.68 crore during 2017-22, and pointed to delays caused by stalled board meetings, lack of project management consultants, and failure to prepare detailed project reports for pending works.
Efforts to relocate Dal Lake residents and houseboats were also unsuccessful, with only a fraction of the targeted land and structures acquired, and no significant dredging carried out on the acquired land. Similarly, the relocation of hotels and the establishment of effective surveillance mechanisms remained incomplete.
The CAG noted that catchment management works were inadequate, with only four out of 15 identified micro-watersheds taken up, also highlighting shortcomings in structural and vegetative measures, training programs, and monitoring systems.
Describing the lake as the "liquid heart" of Srinagar, located at an altitude of 1,583 meters, the audit warned that continued delays and inadequate conservation efforts have hindered the restoration of its water expanse and ecological health.
The CAG recommended periodic monitoring of water spread, a robust lake management policy, effective functioning of STPs, improved sewage and solid waste treatment, and the expedited implementation of key conservation measures.
It also called for public awareness campaigns to curb unauthorized construction and better monitoring of nutrient inflows into the lake.
The audit concluded that unless systemic gaps in planning, execution, and monitoring are addressed, the restoration of Dal Lake's shrinking water body will remain a challenge.