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| Lotus likely to vanish as SKIMS chokes Anchar lake | | | Muhammad Mukaram
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Jan 28: In a severe indictment of the government's failure to curb massive pollution across the state, inhabitants of Tiplu Mohalla, Soura expressed serious concern over deteriorating condition of the "Anchar Lake" as the State Pollution Control board is in deep slumber.
The lotus seed pods have decomposed in the lake due to pollution, adding to the woes of the farmers. The growers have apprehensions that this crop may entirely vanish from Kashmir due to pollution. Lotus normally grows in wetlands and swamps under water which then sprouts into a lotus flower between a huge leaves of size of at least a feet of diameter.
The locals blamed Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) authorities for ruining the lake.
"The hospital authorities never bothered to save this lake, even today when it is at the brink of extinction," they complained.
Since the inception of the SKIMS on the banks of the lake, entire waste is drained into its chest due to which the water body got shrink. "Anchar lake was once best enjoyed by tourists in a shikhara or houseboat as the lake used to house beautiful birds but all this has become history now," Locals told early Times.
Ghulam Rassol, a resident of Tiplu Mohalla said: "One would watch many species of birds here, crystal clear water safe enough for drinking. This was a place which saint does choose for meditation. We used to earn some money due to tourists but as the lake stands depleted now hardly any tourists visit here now."
He said that they have now lost this source of income permanently. "We used to catch fish in the lake and sell them in the local market.
We also used to collect lotus stem and chest nuts from Anchaar. But after the inception of hospital here, due to pollution only a small number of fish grow here now and lotus stem and chest nuts remain buried under the pollution and thus we have been rendered jobless," he said and added Anchar now emits an obnoxious smell that one just can't withstand.
Meanwhile, Upset with the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, Rassol said that at the time of the inception of the hospital he had promised them of jobs in the hospital, "but the promise was never kept."
"In addition to land compensation Abdullah at that time promised us of providing jobs in the hospital but till date we see residents of other areas doing jobs here but hardly someone from the community was given job in the hospital," he rued.
In 2009 State Pollution and Control Board had also held SKIMS responsible for polluting Aanchar Lake. In its report it had charged the hospital authorities for burying bio wastes in the lake which was resulting in depletion of the flora and fauna of the lake. |
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