If encroaching upon Dal Lake, filling its waters and carving out pieces of its bed can happen under the very nose of the authorities, then perhaps the message is clear: Dal Lake is up for grabs. For decades, governments have spoken of protecting the world-famous lake. Committees have been formed, plans announced, millions spent and warnings issued. Yet, on the ground, the lake continues to lose its space to encroachments, constructions and deliberate filling. So why continue this charade?
Why not let the government officially fill up the entire Dal Lake once and for all, divide the reclaimed land into plots and distribute them among the so-called “Dal developers”? At least then, there would be no need for enforcement drives, demolition squads, restoration plans or endless official meetings. The long-pending headache would simply disappear. And Srinagar would gain a new landmark: the Dal Grabbers Colony.
Of course, this is sarcasm. But sometimes sarcasm is the only language left when reality becomes more absurd than fiction. Dal Lake is not an ordinary piece of government land waiting for someone to occupy it. It is one of Kashmir’s defining natural and cultural symbols. Its waters, wetlands and surrounding ecosystem are part of the heritage of Srinagar and the identity of Kashmir itself. Every fresh encroachment is therefore not merely an illegal occupation. It is another small assault on the city’s history.
What makes the situation more disturbing is not just the audacity of those grabbing the lake, but the apparent helplessness, or silence, of those entrusted with protecting it. A violation that survives for years sends a dangerous signal: encroach first, regularisation may follow. This is how public assets disappear, not overnight, but inch by inch, construction by construction and compromise by compromise. The government cannot simultaneously claim that Dal Lake is priceless and behave as though its protection is negotiable. If the lake is worth saving, save it decisively. If its boundaries are known, enforce them. If encroachments are illegal, remove them.
And if officials responsible for protecting the lake repeatedly fail to act, accountability must begin with them.Otherwise, let us at least stop pretending.
Perhaps the next government notification should simply read: “Dal Lake is no longer a lake. Applications are invited for plots in Dal Grabbers Colony.” That would be an honest admission of what years of indifference could eventually make of Kashmir’s most iconic water body.
