Srinagar: The work on repair of sewage treatment plants (STPs) would be completed by the first week of September, the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) told the court.
The report said, “Work on repairs at the three number of STPs at Habak, Lamm and Hazratbal has been allotted through Chief Engineer UEED and is in progress. Timelines were given to complete the work by August, 2020 but due to COVID-19 the work was halted for the past two months. Now the work has been resumed again and the timeline fixed for completion of work is first week of September 2020.”
The report also stated that for the secondary treatment of the effluents from the three STPs, IIT Roorkee has prepared a DPR and the approximate cost of the same has been worked out as Rs 57.08 Crores and Rs 55.00 Crores. “The DPRs have been forwarded to the Committee of experts for their comments,” the report said.
The report also submitted that mechanical De-weeding activity post COVID-19 for the current year has commenced from 6th April, 2020,
“Available machinery has been deployed which include weed harvesters, truxors, water masters and weed carriage barges. Besides, manual lake cleaning operations in peripheral areas have been taken up from May 23rd along the shore upto 60 mtrs for 18 kms. And till date 21734 cubic metres of weed have been extracted, 402800 sq mtrs of skimming done by utilizing a total of 15511 man days,” the report stated.
The report further said for demarcation of boundary pillars of the Dal Lake all the 159 boundary pillars with plates stands installed based on Survey of India Map.
With respect to installation of bio-digesters, the report said, “Four number of bio-digester tanks stands already installed by LAWDA in four number of house boats on April- 2019, but the efficiency of these could not be properly ascertained due to very low occupancy in these house boats, because of prevailing situations in the Valley.”
However, the report said that a committee of experts directed that hull based bio-digesters be installed in four houseboats by LDA and four by Tourism on pilot basis and this is being finalized. A quote of Rs 1.85 Lacs per biodigester has been received from Sumandra Shipping Pvt. Ltd.
With respect to removal of condemned and unserviceable house boats from the Lake, the report submitted that the Tourism Department has conducted Geo-tagging of all houseboats in Dal lake in the recent past.
“The process of registration shall pave the way for removal of condemned houseboats. This is expected to be finalized by August 2020,” the report said.
For the relocation and rehabilitation of encroachers on the lake, about 9000 families, the LAWDA said that options are being worked out.

NUSRAT SIDIQ