By David Lepeska in kashmir observer
Srinagar: Kashmiris strolling into High Court from Jehangir Chowk yesterday afternoon might well have found themselves immersed in the sad strains of a not unfamiliar tune, a heartbreaking ditty sung several times before in Srinagar: the swan song of Dal Lake. Chief Justice Bashir Ahmad Khan and Justice Bashir Ahmad Kirmani of the Division Bench, you see, were at that time castigating the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) and the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) for shirking their responsibilities in regards to the conservation of the jewel of Kashmir.�
�Dal has become a vegetable garden; where is the water body?� Khan wondered, exaggerating slightly in handing down a stiff judgment – giving the authorities their last chance. �We find greenery all around and even shikaras can�t move.�
Indeed, any area resident with eyes and ears is aware of the numerous congestion and pollution problems of their favorite water source. But again accepting failure on the part of those charged with fixing the problem is not easy. One might begin to wonder if there is a higher power to which we can turn, and indeed there is.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has been designating World Heritage Sites since 1972, and in those 34 years it has selected 830 sites deserving of the utmost protection and stewardship. With the designation of exceptional natural and/or cultural beauty comes not only considerable funding, training, and technical assistance, but the global, regional, and local attention that helps endangered wonders survive. A mere five designated sites are centered on a lake or network of lakes, but it is worth noting that three are in underdeveloped nations – Lake Malawi National Park, Malawi; Lake Turkana National Parks, Kenya; Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia – while the other two are globally unique. Russia�s Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in all of Asia, in terms of volume, and Australia�s Willandra Lakes Region offers unique testament to the earth�s evolutionary and geological history as well evidence of an ancient civilization.
What does Dal have to offer? Well, it has been the center of life in the valley for generations – all-important agriculture on the floating gardens, which provide 50% of the Valley�s vegetables but ironically threaten the lake�s existence, and fisheries rely on the waters and aquatic life, respectively. More importantly, tourism and all the industries to which it is linked, including the sale of shawls and other cashmere goods, wood carving, jewelry, and more, are at great risk. Thus, Dal Lake is inextricably connected to the livelihood of Kashmir. Secondly, the shikaras and houseboats of Dal are unlike any other in the world, and combined with the beauty of the surrounding mountains and the possibilities of the winding canals, offer a scenic and cultural experience of great value for tourists and locals alike. The setting has inspired visiting writers and local poets and artists for centuries (this might make Dal more like Venice, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, than any of the lake sites mentioned above). Lastly, the lake is deeply endangered; witness how encroaching silt and vast shoreline development have shrunk the water body from 75 square miles to about 10 square kilometers in the last eight centuries. Tourist pressures have decreased the presence of various fauna and flora and compromised the lake�s biological integrity and water shortages have caused bird sanctuaries and fisheries to suffer. Most damning is the sewage of the city and surrounding houseboats, which is discharged directly into the lake. A 1970 state government report that warned of the increasing damage wrought by all of these forces has essentially been ignored.
A designation would help return Dal Lake to its former glory, and it could happen, but it�s a long way off. The designation process involves the state compiling and periodically submitting to UNESCO a �tentative list� of potential sites and then presenting an annual list of official nominees, which would then be reviewed by UNESCO officials. Dal Lake is not on the tentative list, and one reason may be that Delhi is uncomfortable nominating a site located in disputed, conflict-ridden territory. But two other Kashmiri sites are – both are Buddhist-related complexes in Ladakh – so that reasoning is invalid. The key problems have been the failures of the aforementioned LAWDA and the absence of a Kashmir-based Dal Lake lobby.�
Failure in LAWDA, the committee charged with spearheading the Dal Lake conservation effort since 1997, is nothing new. On top of various and widespread problems of inadequate understanding of local ecology, conflict of interest among key players and parties, and lack of involvement of stakeholders in planning and implementation, most of which are not uncommon across Indian lakes and waterways, the authority was found guilty of corruption in 2001. Officials had massaged a full Rs 15 crore from the budget and purchased two large and expensive harvesters that did not function effectively in Dal Lake. The vice-chairman and other officials lost their positions and, more importantly, Delhi, which had previously provided Rs 100 crore for Dal preservation, washed its hands of the matter. The Central Government�s financial commitment was renewed in March 2005 to the tune of another Rs 237 crore, but Friday’s decision by the Division Bench of the High Court reveals the futility of these investments, which have totaled Rs 600 crore thus far. The state has talked about setting up a Dal Lake Preservation Fund, but has failed to do so. Thus, in the future, improved conservation management from government sources appears unlikely.�
So it might be wise to look for a champion, a group to carry the cause of Dal Lake to ears and wallets capable of making an impact. Green Kashmir, a local environmental group that raises awareness about developing conservation concerns, has for the last decade worked on waste management and preserving reed beds in Dal. Although their efforts are admirable, with little funding they have achieved limited success. Both Ladakhi proposals to UNESCO were created by the Archaeological Survey of India, which would have little reason to conserve Dal. Yet hope may exist in the form of the Nature Conservation Society and its partner the Ashoka Trust for Research on Ecology and the Environment, outfits with considerable experience in these areas. The duo is responsible for instituting protective measures in the rainforests of the Western Ghats as well as getting that natural site and the Namdapha and Kangzengdzonga National Parks on India�s tentative list for World Heritage status – the only three nature sites on the list. Additionally, the partners are working in the Himalayas to protect the long-endangered snow leopard, a mark of familiarity and concern for this specific region. Something to note, however: On the Ashoka website, the very first sentence describing its work is as follows: �ATREE’s conservation programmes begin with the premise that local communities are integral to any conservation effort.��
There is hope, but the people of the Kashmir Valley have to do more. Achieving World Heritage status for Dal Lake, and thus ensuring its preservation for posterity, is not an impossibility, but it may be if Kashmiris don�t act soon.�
�If you fail again,� Justice Kirmani warned the lake�s caretakers, �we can get the job done ourselves.� They have failed again, and the people of the Kashmir Valley have to remind themselves of the importance of Dal Lake in their lives and in their communities and commit to conserving and keeping it beautiful – then and only then might a guardian angel such as the Nature Conservation Project or ATREE swoop down and deliver us from swill

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