Pulls up authorities for failing’ to check encroachments on the water body Coming down heavily on the caretaker body Lakes and Waterways Department Authority (LAWDA) and the civil administration for their “lax approach and insufficient staff”, the Jammu & Kashmir High Court pulled them up for “failing” to preserve the famous Dal Lake. The court ordered a slew of measures to contain the ever-growing pollution, and encroachments in and around the water body, which is central to the Valley’s tourism. Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by environmental activist Syed Tahir Iqbal Geelani in 2002, Justices Ramalingam Sudhakar and Ali Mohammad Magrey observed, “Environmental degradation, pollution caused due to letting out of discharge by residential buildings, growth of weeds and discharge of toxic effluents have caused serious damage to the world-famous water body.” Noting that existing Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) “were not functioning effectively and needed to be upgraded”, the court said: “Re-structuring and refurnishing of existing STPs should also be examined. By any chance the existing STPs are stopped, the impact it may have on pollution in Dal lake will be irreversible.” It asked the authorities to rope in non-governmental and other organisations “for technical experience” and to install CCTV cameras “to strengthen” the LAWDA’s Enforcement Wing. The court directed the State government to ensure rehabilitation of residents at Rakh-I-Arth housing colony, a rehabilitation project for lake-dwellers who are being displaced as part of the conservation programme. The court also stressed the need to seek guidance of the World Wildlife Fund, which has created a network called the India Water Stewardship Network and Alliance for Water Stewardship, “to ensure sustainable water management”. “We further suggest that the Monitoring Committee [set up by the High Court in 2002] consider and recommend to the government whether a non-profit trust can be formed, like a ‘Dal Lake Fund’. It can be given the task of restoration of the lake,” the judges observed. The court held that school and college students can be asked to take part in community service programmes, focusing specifically on clean environment in and around the lake. “This will encourage good Samaritans help to save the lake,” the court observed.