Lake Man bats for natural methods to revive Dharamshala’s Dal

A day after arriving in Dharamshala on the invitation of the Kangra administration, Bengaluru-based lake conservationist Anand Malligavad, known as the “Lake Man of India” batted for rejuvenating the city’s Dal Lake using natural methods, inspiring hope within the administration for the lake’s revival.

After surveying Dal Lake, Malligavad on Tuesday met with officials from various departments to discuss the lake’s restoration. He noted that 70% of the work has already been completed, with only some fine-tuning needed to fully revive the lake.

After the lake went dry last month, the Kagra administration contacted Malligavad, a techie-turned-lake-conservationist who has successfully revitalised several water bodies in Bengaluru and invited him to visit the lake.

The lake’s desiccation has drawn strong reactions from locals due to its religious significance for the community.

“After surveying the lake, I could find that most of the work has already been done and only around 30% work, mainly related to plugging of leakage and improving quality of water, remains to be done. I proposed to do that through natural methods like using clay. My plan is not to do temporary patch up but to provide a sustainable solution to the lake,” Malligavad said.

“I proposed that we will prepare the detailed project report (DPR) this month. If we start working on the lake in December, I believe we will complete it in the next 4-5 months and by June next year, the lake should get fresh water,” he said.

Continuing seepage is said to be the reason for the drying up of the lake which last month prompted the administration to shift around 1,200 kg fish to Machyal lake. Nestled among the lush green forests of deodar trees, the Dal Lake is famous for its scenic beauty and is a pilgrim centre due to the presence of a 200-year old Lord Shiva temple on its banks.

Located 1,775 m above the sea level amid thick cedar forest, the lake that once had crystal clear water is dying a slow death. The waterbody, which is situated 11 km from Dharamshala near the village of Tota Rani on Mcleodganj-Naddi road, has gradually lost its storage capacity due to rapid silting and continuous seepage. It has further affected the flora and fauna in its catchment areas.

The problem of silting and seepage first appeared in the mid-2000s. The local administration started desilting and restoration work in 2008, but it instead aggravated the problem as the lake completely dried up.

Locals have alleged that the lake began losing more water rapidly after desilting was done using earthmovers under a joint project carried out by the tourism and forest departments in 2008.