Srinagar: In a bid to clean the polluted Dal
Lake here, two state-of-the-art drudging machines have been
brought from Finland.
The Rs eight crore multi-functional machines can venture
into such areas of the water body where no other
self-propelled device has been able to enter, Lakes and
waterways development authority (LAWDA) officials said.
The machines, known for their low maintenance and high
success rate in conservation of lakes in many countries, could
both be used as suction dredgers and floating excavators
simultaneously.
"The lake which is epitome of beauty of Kashmir since
times immemorial and has attained world fame as a favourite
tourism destination shall be given full attention by the
government so that its past glory is revived," Chief Minister
Omar Abdullah said while launching the dredgers yesterday.
Omar said a multi-pronged approach is being executed for
conservation of the lake. Apart from carrying dredging and
removal of weeds and land mass in the Dal, sewerage treatment
plants are under construction to ensure treatment of the
sewerage from the catchment areas of the lake.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, March 07, 2010, 14:35