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Dal Lake Dharamshala, Kangra, HP,
India.
The History
Dal Lake
is a small mid-altitude
lake
(1,775 meters above sea level) situated at a distance of 11 kilometers
away from Dharamshala near the village of Tota Rani on Macleodganj Naddi
road in
Kangra district
(Himachal
Pradesh). Dal Lake is 2 KM walk westwards from MacLeodganj
bazaar. Nestling amidst lush green forests of deodar trees,
the Dal Lake is famous for its scenic beauty and pilgrimage center. The
area around Dal Lake is a natural paradise. The area of the lake is
around one hectare (i.e. 10,000 square meters). On the bank of Dal Lake
a famous Lord Shiva temple is located, which is considered to be very
sacred and as old as 200 years. According to one legend a sage named
Durvasa prayed to Lord Shiva here. Every year during rainy season, on
the day of Radhasthami, a huge number of Lord Shiva devotees flock to
the Dal Lake to attend famous festival celebrated to mark the presence
of Lord Shiva and take holy dip in the sacred waters of the lake. It is
believed that that the source of lake waters is mainly the famous and
sacred Manimahesh Lake (situated at Bharmour, Distt. Chamba) and those
who cannot take holy bath in the Manimahesh lake which is situated at
the altitude of 13,500 feet and at a very difficult and inhospitable
climate take dip in the waters of Dal Lake. Ma
Kali
Temple is also situated on the other end of the Lake. The lake has
natural springs on the Northern side and according one legend Lord Shiva
and Ma Parvati kunds are also located in it .
The
Malady Affecting the Lake
Over the
years due to anthropogenic and natural reasons the lake has been
swallowed away by the huge load of silt. More than 30 per cent area of
the lake has turned out into a meadow. The remaining area of the lake
has ten to five feet load of fine silt deposited over it. Coupled with
it, the natural system of purification of lake has also got disturbed.
The valves fixed for draining out the silt have not been operated for
years together. The leakage of lake waters prevented the water to
overflow. It disturbed the natural cleaning system of the lake. The
lake has further been plagued by large scale pollution due to the
increase of population in its catchments area and due to feeding to fish
which got multiplied here disproportionately to the capacity of the lake
and its waters. To compound the problem further, the leakage of the
lake increased all of sudden on 11th of June, 2009. On the
advice of the Fisheries Department, the fish had to be transferred to
other location to save it from death. And after few days the lake has
dried up completely.
The Campaign
For the last many
years a thinking was going on to save lake. Some meetings were also
held involving the experts. The work of de-siltation of lake was
started in May, 2008 through NREGA which could be continued for a month
only. Thereafter on 15th of June, 2009 a campaign was
started involving the local population to de-silt the lake. The silt of
the lake is being dumped on Strawberry road on temple land which is
automatically getting converted into a parking which is very much
required at this location. Responsibilities were also distributed to
various Departments and organizations. A copy of which is enclosed.
The Help Required
As on today
the total load of silt in the lake is estimated at 13,600 cubic meters.
There is need of using mechanized methods to take out the silt from the
lake. Besides, public participation is also required in the gigantic and
historical task. Huge amount of funds which can run into lacs are
required for various works which have been detailed in the list of tasks
assigned to various Departments. Help can be provided in the shape of
sponsoring Excavators, Tippers, Tractors etc. Funds can also be
deposited with the Temple Trust account which is operated by the
Chairman of the Trust i.e. SDM Dharamshala. There is a plan to start
de-siltation drive in a big way in the month of October 2009. And we
target to complete the de-siltation and beautification part of the lake
by June, 2010. Help in any shape including expert advice will be highly
solicited.
The Roles Assigned to
Various Departments:-
| Public Works Department |
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·
Providing exit for muck
coming to lake during monsoon season on the western edge of the lake
·
Construction of parking on
the Strawberry Road
·
Diversion of debris and
muck
·
Preparation of landscape
plan for the lake
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| Forest Department |
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·
Fencing of the remaining
area
·
Plantation in the catchments
area of the lake during this monsoon season
·
De-silting of the check dams
·
Raising of retaining wall on
the northern side of the lake
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| Irrigation and Health Department |
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·
Preparing a Plan for the
plugging the leakage of the lake waters
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Plan for future de-siltation
– designing of sluice gate and fixing thereof
·
Scheme for augmenting the
lake waters
·
Follow – up with the Asian
Development Bank or any other funding agency for sanction of the project
submitted for the de-silting and revival of the lake
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| Tibetan Administration(TCV) |
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Canalization of flow to the
lake on the eastern side
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Maintenance of cleanliness
on the catchment area of the eastern side of the lake.
·
Assistance in the
de-siltation of the lake
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| Fisheries Department |
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Safety of the fish
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| DRDA/Block/Panchayat |
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·
Undertaking de-silting of
lake through NREGA and other Govt. Schemes.
·
Soil conservation works
along Northern Side of the Lake
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Ban on grazing in the
catchments area of the lake
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Stoppage of muck coming to
lake from the western side (Naddi side)
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For further detail and suggestions please Contact:
Chairman Sri Durveshwar
Mahadev Temple Trust-cum-Sub Divisional Magistrate Dharamshala, Kangra,
HP, India
Phone: +(91) 1892 223315,
e-mail:
sdmdha-kan-hp@nic.in
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