Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today informed the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly that 10 kilometres of internal channels and waterways of Dal Lake and adjoining lake interiors have been cleaned/dredged during the last three years, while further dredging of priority channels is being undertaken through departmentally owned machinery.
Replying to a question by MLA Tanvir Sadiq during the Question Hour of the ongoing Autumn Session, the chief minister, who is also Minister Incharge Housing & Urban Development, said that clearing of internal channels and waterways of Dal Lake and adjoining lake interiors is being carried out regularly through manual deweeding and collection of solid waste.
During the current financial year, mechanical dredging has also been carried out in several important channels using departmentally owned water masters. These include the channel from Dol Damb to Meena Bazar through Angraz Hut, two main channels in Khushalsar from Saidipora Bridge to Firdousabad Colony and Sazgiripora, while dredging and deepening of the main Gilsar has also been almost completed.
On the issue of sewage inflows into Dal and Nigeen lakes, the chief minister said sewerage from the periphery and adjoining areas of the Dal-Nigeen lakes, as well as houseboats in the two lakes, is being catered to through five Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs).
These include the 16.10 MLD Brari-Numbal STP, catering to the southern periphery from Dalgate to Nehru Park and the western side of Dalgate; the 5.4 MLD Nallah Amir Khan STP, serving Lal-Bazar, Bota Kadal and adjoining areas; the 7.5 MLD Hazratbal STP, catering to Ashai Bagh, NIT, Saida Kadal, Saderbal-Kanitar and the University area; the 3.2 MLD Habak STP, serving Habak, Tailbal (Shanpora) and adjoining areas; and the 4.5 MLD Laam STP, catering to areas from Makai Park to Ishber and adjoining localities.
The government is also augmenting the sewage treatment infrastructure around Dal Lake. A 30 MLD STP at Gupt Ganga is coming up and is scheduled to be completed within two years. The facility will cater to the northern side of Dal Lake.
With regard to Khushalsar and Gilsar, the chief minister said the lakes were taken up by the Lakes Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) in 2025, while the assignment for construction of the sewerage network around these lakes has been given to the Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED).
On the condition of interior channels including Jogi Lanker-Rainawari, Chowdary Bagh, Naidyaar, Sabzi Market and Lamba Mohalla, the chief minister said these channels are continuously cleared through manual deweeding and collection of solid waste. The channels were also dredged during the 2023-24 financial year.
He further informed the House that cleaning of such channels is being undertaken continuously, while dredging will be carried out in the near future through departmentally owned machinery on a priority basis.
The ongoing measures are aimed at maintaining the hydraulic capacity of the lake channels, improving water flow, managing solid waste and strengthening sewage treatment and environmental management around the interconnected urban water bodies of Srinagar.
