I wept- with me wept the Dal Lake

Dal Lake needs no introduction. The most famous and often quoted symbol of Kashmir is in fact the Dal Lake. It would not be wrong to say that most parts of Srinagar city lie in the vicinity of this lake. The crown of kashmir unfortunately is breathing is last. It has shrunk to almost one sixth of its original size. Human greed, callous authorities and criminal neglect by all residents of kashmir have brought it almost to the point of being consigned to the dustbin of history. Kashmir is the only place on earth where lake dwellers have filled the lake over the years and have earned legal rights too.They are being compensated for plunder and enchroachment of public property and national treasure. The level of pollution in the Dal lake is now beyond definition by any statistics. While token protests and half hearted attempts have been going on, radical measures are warranted. Swift and abrupt end to the floating gardens. should be the first priority. They are the most convenient and frequently used way of enchroaching the lake. Demolition of all habitations within the lake which have no legal basis. Lake dwellers have rights to live in boats and not in houses within the lake.Limiting the number of house boats and ensuring that each one is fitted with latest sewage treatment facilities. Stopping all sewage from flowing into the lake.

It may seem to be a tough ask. Yes it is. But it is not only Dal lake but the kashmiri nation which is dying.We have to race against time to save ourselves by salvaging the Dal lake. When Delhi, a city of 15 million can transform its whole public transport within a few months, why cant we do something about our priceless treasure. Delhi is the first city in the world which has less polluting fuels for whole of its public transport system. We should Invite foreign consortia. Fund raising can be done to supplement the funds already earmarked for the lake.Moreover, international financial assistance can also be sought.We can impose a special levy or cess to raise funds over a ten year period exclusively for the conservation of the Dal Lake on the analogy of the education cess to raise funds for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan at the central level.
Build a system of roads and parks on the whole boundry of the lake. This will put an end to the enchroachment and conserve the lake for posterity. We must wake up.

Tel Bal Nallah


The tel bal nallah is extremely important for the sustainance of Dal Lake. Not only is the water level in the lake regulated by its flow, the breeding of fish thriving in dal lake depends on the nallah to a great extent.The nallah , has unfortunately got badly polluted and is adding to the woes of the lake. Here are a few glimpes of the rot at the mouth of the nallah and the settling basin at the foreshore road.

Dal Lake Proper

This may soon be a forgotten site.

Foot wear is found floating in abundance in the lake.

A drain emptying directly into the lake.

Thick algal blooms have suffocated the lake.

                    

        

                    

The Life line of the lake, the countless springs on the shores of the lake which used to nourish the lake are all but dead.They cry for conservation and attention.

A spring on the shores of Dal Lake which has dried up and has not been conserved .

This used to be a spring right on the shores of the lake. Now in disuse and damaged.

                   

Lost Glory

Sad Sight

stagnant despair

Source : Environment and Food Security Concerns

Two top militants killed in Kashmir

Two top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commanders in Jammu and Kashmir were killed in the mountainous Banihal region on Sunday after a fierce gunfight with Indian Army and police that lasted almost six hours.

The two commanders, Ayiaz Ahmad Malik alias Abu Musa and Farooq Ahmad alias Zulkarnain, were top Lashkar men in the Pir Panchal mountain range.

Indian Army had been tracking Abu Moosa for more than ten years now. Abu Moosa joined the militant movement at the age of 16 and rose to the rank of Divisional Commander of Lashkar.

The gunbattle began at 1 AM on Sunday and concluded at 6.50 AM (Local Time).

Musa had fought in many battles against Indian forces in the region. He was the brain behind the killing of two Territorial Army soldiers on Dec 31 last year who were involved in espionage activities.

Zulkarnain was active in Shopian belt of south Kashmir and shifted his base to south Pir Panchal area in 2008. He was the Operations Chief of the area.

Since 1989, more than a dozen Islamic militant groups have been fighting for Kashmir's independence from India or its merger with Pakistan. More than 90,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the conflict with Indian troops often using civilians as human shields.

Thousands of civilians have disappeared in Indian custody. Torture has been widespread and fatal in Indian jails.

Prison Break: 540 Taliban escape from Kandahar Jail

Some 540 Taliban officers and commanders have escaped from Kandahar prison via a 320 metre-long tunnel, Afghan government officials have confirmed to Al Jazeera. A Taliban official on Monday also confirmed the overnight escape, boasting that the prison break had been "very well-planned" and that it was five months in the making, Al Jazeera's Qais Azimy, reporting from Kabul, said. According to a Taliban statement the tunnel was not dug by the inmates but by fighters outside the prison. "Mujahideen started digging a 320 metre-long to the prison from the south side, which was completed after a five month period, bypassing check posts and the Kandahar-Herat main highway leading directly to the political prison," the statement read. "The tunnel reached its target last night, from where the prisoner Mujahideen were led away through the escape route by three previously informed inmates in a period of four and a half hours, starting from 11:00 pm last night and ending at 3:30 am this morning. Mujahideen later on sent vehicles to the inmates who were led away to secure destinations." "They all have made it safe to our centres and there was no fighting," Yousuf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, said. Ahmadi said that 106 were Taliban commanders while the rest were foot soldiers. Kandahar police said they have re-captured eight commanders so far. The Taliban claim that the prison guards did not notice the escape until four hours after the operation was completed. The prison in Kandahar typically holds drug dealers as well as Taliban commanders captured by NATO forces, our correspondent said. If the officials have the correct number for those who have escaped - 540 Taliban commanders and senior officers on the run - then this break will constitute a "big success" for the Taliban. It is also sure to "have a dramatic effect on the fight against the Taliban in the region," said Azimy. Security concerns There have been previous escapes from this prison. In June 2008, Taliban fighters attacked the facility in southern Afghanistan, blasting through its entrance and engaging in a gun battle with police. Nearly all of the estimated 1,150 prisoners, including some 400 Taliban, escaped, according to Afghan officials. A Taliban spokesperson said that two suicide bombers blew themselves up near the entrance of the gate to the prison before 30 Taliban fighters attacked and killed 16 policemen. Kandahar prison was the scene of a mass hunger strike by hundreds of inmates in May, 2008 during which 47 of the prisoners sewed their lips shut after complaining they had been tortured and denied fair trials. Kandahar is seen as the birthplace of the Taliban movement and the city and surrounding area is scene of some of the worst fighting in Afghanistan.

Source: Al Jazeera