Dal Lake dries up, locals worried

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, October 18

The famous Dal Lake of Dharamsala, which was full to its brims a fortnight ago following heavy rains, has now completely dried up.

Rakesh, a resident of the Naddi area, said fish in the lake had perished. “We don’t know the reason behind it, but it is being considered inauspicious for the area by the locals,” he said.

District tourism officer Madhu Chaudhary said it was a matter of great concern. She said the Centre had sanctioned a project of Rs 4 crore for the beautification of the lake. The tourism department had already received a sum of Rs 1.15 crore. “However, we will have to look into this serious issue before starting the beautification project,” said Madhu.

Sources said the lake started losing water after it was de-silted using JCB machines during a joint project carried out by the Tourism and Forest Departments. An amount of Rs 40 lakh was spent on the exercise, which was carried out in an unscientific manner and against the advice of geological experts, they added.

Geological experts from IIT-Roorkee, who had conducted a research on the lake, had also advised against the mechanical de-silting of the lake and had also submitted a report in this regard to the state government.

The lake is located at an altitude of 1,775 metre from the sea level. Earlier, it used to look like a bowl of water trapped at the bottom of the mountains and surrounded by lush green deodar forest. It was a famous tourist spot. However, it is now dying a slow death.

Locals said the lake used to get water from natural underground sources that were now lying choked due to mechanical de-silting.

Former Director of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) LN Aggarwal, while talking to The Tribune, said the entire process of de-silting was carried out in an unscientific manner.

He said to save the lake, its base should first be cleaned of all muck and unwanted material manually. To prevent seepage, one cut off should be provided at a suitable depth to the southern end of the lake. This should be done in consultation with engineering geologists and a groundwater expert, he said.

The lake is also considered sacred by the locals and an annual mela is organised here to worship local deities.