Panel to declare Dal Lake as eco-sensitive zone

The Jammu and Kashmir   government has set up a ten-member committee to declare Srinagar’s famous Dal Lake and its surrounding areas as an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ), following concerns over its shrinking size. Pollution and encroachments have resulted in the Dal Lake shrinking from its original area of 22 square kilometers to about 10 square kilometers, according to an assessment by the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) in 2017. The DCI also found that the world-famous lake’s capacity has shrunk to about 40% and that its water quality has deteriorated. All facilities and infrastructure to the committee shall be provided by the Housing and Urban Development Department. The ESZs are called Ecologically Fragile Areas. A region or territory is notified as ESZ by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change.