Concern grows as Himachal's Dal lake dries up

With the end of monsoon and the onset of winter, the Dal Lake in Naddi village on outskirts of Dharamshala town has begun to dry up. Locals have expressed concern as the district administration said they have re-started the beautification work of the lake.

Dharmshala: The famous Dal Lake of Himachal Pradesh, a famous tourist spot in the city has now completely dried up. As the monsoon ends and winter sets in, the river starts diminishing, a problem persisting for over a decade now.

Located 1,775 metres above sea level amid thick cedar forest, Dal lake is known for its Hindu mythological beliefs and lakhs of devotees throng here on the auspicious occasion of Shivratri. With the lake gradually losing its water storage capacity due to rapid silting and seepage, the locals have expressed concerns over the matter. People said that drying up of the lake has not only affected the flora and fauna of the area but has also severely impacted tourism.

Talking to ETV Bharat, Karnail Singh, a resident of Naddi village, said, "Dal lake is for its historical importance. People used to take a dip in the holy waters in the river on several occasions. In 2008, the beautification of Dal lake had started but it did not proceed further. We demanded that the fish from the lake must be transferred to another waterbody for their conservation."

Another local Rajesh Kumar said that the beautification process of the lake has not been completed till date. He said, "Due to continuous leakage, the lake is drying up and every year the marine life is affected."

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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.

However, contractor Rajesh Rana said, "After we received orders from SDM, we have stated the de-silting work again. We are tracing the area from where the seepage takes place. We have also divided the river into two fronts in which one portion will be used to conserve the fish."

Sunaina Sharma, the tourism official, said, "We have re-initiated the work of beautification of Dal Lake. A technical team has been deployed for the survey."

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