Is anybody listening that the largest fresh water body in Asia, the Wular is dying and continues to die , perhaps unwept and unsung. Plunging into deep nostalgic emotional feelings the moment one recollects the grandeur and the greatness in every respect of this magnificent lake which one used to hear from elders, teachers and those whose livelihood depended on the immense treasures of different hue this lake possessed, one cannot help rueing its rampant violation in numerous ways. One of such ways is directly dumping huge quantities of waste material into this majestic and once awe-inspiring lake. In addition to this, almost all pollutants are finding their way direct into this lake through river Veth (Jehlum) which already is terribly polluted.
As if the havoc wrought with once pride of the state and the country, the Dal Lake as also Khushal Sar lake was any less , even Wular lake has not been spared. Successive state governments and most of the political leaders paid virtually no attention to save this lake let alone take up massive projects to restore it its original sheen and glory excepting there being Wular Conservation and Management Authority without any tangible results of its “efforts”. However, under the Governor’s administration some initiative seems to have been taken which speaks for the “reasons ” of the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir directing concerned officers to investigate the matter of uninterrupted dumping of waste material in this lake. He has desired not only an investigation into the entire gamut of such criminal and anti ecological act but to take action against those involved in it.
The question is that the levels of retrieval , conservation and preservation in respect of this lake are not made public at regular intervals by Wular Conservation and Management Authority . It is also not known precisely whether the funds allotted for this great but critical mission were properly used and whether there was a mechanism in vogue to assess the end use . Perhaps that is why a detailed report on the expenditure on preservation measures is sought by the Divisional Commissioner. Since the culture of frequently visiting the “field” by bureaucrats and other state authorities is deficient in measure and frequency in most of the cases in our State , desired results as such are usually not forthcoming as at execution level, it is left to whims of those in charge to do what and how they liked to. That is why, Deputy Commissioner Bandipora is asked to visit the dumping site personally and ensure that no one violated the norms set for protection and preservation of this lake. Preservation and conservation of Wular lake is easy said than done which calls for the urgent need of a full fledged campaign launched on a massive scale whereby various agencies were involved who worked in tandem instead of the whole process in the name of conservation looking nothing less than a ruse. To start with, it does not cost much financially as well as administratively to ensure all the surroundings of this once world famous lake kept neat and clean which would make it difficult, if not impossible to dump waste into this lake. Why is it not done ?
Its banks could be made attractive at some select places to attract eco- tourism activities and lovers of nature. In the same way, small parks, birds watching sites , marked spots and other similar innovative measures could be thought about ,developed and maintained which could also play its role in helping this lake come out of the gross neglect and forlornness.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel