MANSAR LAKE OF JAMMU IS DYING

                                        

MANSAR LAKE IN JAMMU  IS DYING

We visited Mansar Lake today. The Lake appears to be struggling on  many fronts   to survive.

 How can tourism be developed in Jammu if the Mansar Lake is left to die  ? Seen in a photo ,the Lake  gives a majestic look but after a visit, one can see its total  neglect both as a 12000 year old  water body and also as a place with enormous tourism potential . I found the Lake  needing  colossal development on all fronts.  

(1) There is no   parking facility for visitors to the Lake. 

(2)  The decks where from  fish are fed are broken at many places . They need to be replaced by RCC structures.

(3) No vendor be allowed inside the lake and the garden as too much of littering is  visible in the garden and also in the lake's water.

(4) On 21st December 2024, I found 6 groups cooking food in the garden .

(5) There is no walkway around the Lake .

(6)  Clean drinking water facility needs to be set up at  4 or 5 points .

(7)  Other than old paddle boats, there is no  attraction on the lake surface. 

(8)  Lake garden needs massive  green turfing , flower varieties, renovated pathways and better landscaping .

(9) The boarding/  lodging  facilities need to be developed and made attractive for visitors. At the moment these are poor if not primitive.

(9)The Lake Ghats need to be developed .

(10) The toilets are filthy and stinking .

(11) There is no trusted and reliable  food chain's stall  outside the lake  . Food sold inside or outside the lake is unhygienic .

(12) Restaurants , vendors and eateries need to be moved out of the lake and the garden. 

(13) Vendors and petty traders are occupying  the garden and the paths leading to the garden. 

(14) The sewage water from the  restaurants  and houses pours  into the lake  .This alone is sufficient for the death of the Lake .

It appears that the  scenic beauty  and the tourist  potential of the Lake has been  underestimated   by the  authorities . It will not be incorrect to say that everything  looks  ordinary and  neglected at this place . There is a Surinsar-Mansar Development Authority.What this authority does,we don't know ?  We don't know the financial grants and the  spending pattern of this Authority .And there is a dire need for fostering a sense of ownership over the lake which alone can contribute to its preservation.

( Avtar Mota)

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