Posted on February 16, 2026
Over 3,100 Dal families relocated; STPs, dredging, CCTV surveillance and anti-encroachment drive underway
Our Special Correspondent
Srinagar: The Jammu & Kashmir Government on Friday said a large-scale conservation and restoration programme is underway to revive Srinagar’s historic lakes, with projects worth hundreds of crores being executed across the Sher-e-Khas water bodies.
Replying to an Un-starred Assembly Question by MLA Mubarik Gul, the Housing & Urban Development Department informed the House that restoration measures are being carried out in Dal, Nigeen, Anchar, Brari Nambal, Khushalsar, Gilsar and Echnambal lakes. Water quality is being monitored by the J&K Pollution Control Committee, while conservation works are being implemented by the J&K Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA).
As part of Dal Lake conservation, authorities have relocated about 3,108 families from inside the lake to rehabilitation colonies. Over the past three years, 6.5 sq km of weeds have been removed, the open water expanse increased to more than 20.3 sq km, 20 navigation channels (10 km) restored and nearly 2 lakh cubic metres of silt dredged, besides shoreline dredging from NPL Bund to Kral Sangri.
To check pollution, five Sewage Treatment Plants with a combined capacity of 36.73 MLD are operational around the Dal-Nigeen periphery, while a 30 MLD Guptganga STP costing Rs 306 crore is under construction. Sewerage networks have been connected to 573 houseboats in Dal Lake and 148 houseboats in Nigeen Lake, along with oxidation ponds and bio-digesters to treat inflows.
Real-time monitoring through an Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring System has been installed at five STPs. Authorities are also carrying out daily solid-waste collection from lake hamlets and houseboats and converting aquatic weed into compost in collaboration with NAFED. Advanced dredgers and cleaning machinery have been procured, and 29 CCTV cameras installed to prevent illegal dumping and construction.
Catchment management works — including plantation of nearly two lakh trees, fencing and anti-erosion check dams — are being undertaken to reduce silt load. A Rs 212.38-crore Integrated Management Plan for the Dal-Nigeen ecosystem, prepared with IIT Roorkee under the Prime Minister’s Development Package, will address sewerage and siltation issues.
The government further said Khushalsar and Gilsar lakes, recently transferred to LCMA, are undergoing dredging and cleaning, while a Rs 41.17-crore sewer network is being laid to connect them to the Noorbagh STP. Brari Nambal lagoon, which serves as Dal Lake’s outflow to the Jhelum, has also been improved through a 468-metre conduit.
Authorities have demarcated lake boundaries using GPS and satellite imagery, fenced vulnerable areas, relocated dwellers to sites including Rakh-i-Arth and initiated FIRs and demolition action against encroachers.
The government said the combined measures aim to restore water quality, protect Srinagar’s fragile lake ecosystem and preserve the Valley’s environmental heritage.
