SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has said a 30 million litres per day (MLD) sewage treatment plant is under construction at Gupt Ganga to address untreated wastewater entering the Dal Lake from areas that remain outside the sewerage network.
The Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), being constructed by the Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED), along with the proposed sewer network for unconnected northern areas, is likely to be completed during the financial year 2028-29, according to a government reply in the J&K Assembly.
The government said the area from Ishber to Tailbal is not fully connected to the sewerage network. As a result, polluted water, primarily domestic wastewater, enters inflow channels of the lake, including Meerak Shah Nallah, Pazwalpora Nallah, Butkul and Tailbal Nallah.
To reduce the direct discharge, the J&K Lake Conservation and Management Authority (JKLCMA) has developed detention ponds along the Northern Foreshore Road to intercept wastewater before it reaches the lake. The government said these ponds facilitate natural treatment and reduce the nutrient load entering Dal Lake.
It also said 100 biodigesters have been installed in the Tailbal area to provide localised treatment of sewage generated by households and minimise the discharge of untreated wastewater into drainage channels.
The government further stated that sewerage lines have been laid for six hamlets located within Dal Lake, while a detailed project report for two sewage treatment systems with a combined capacity of 310 kilolitres per day, estimated at Rs 18.16 crore, is under technical scrutiny.
Under the Integrated Management Plan of Dal-Nigeen Lake, a DPR worth Rs 212.389 crore has also been approved by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The project will cater to sewage generated by 28 additional hamlets, the government said.
The JKLCMA has also initiated a detailed survey to determine the total requirement of sewage treatment plants, after which any identified shortfall will be addressed through a new STP, according to the reply.
At present, three STPs serving the Dal Lake catchment are functional. The 14.5 MLD STP at Laam caters to Makai Park, Ishber, Deevan Colony and adjoining habitations, while the 3.2 MLD STP at Habak serves Habak, Shanapora, Meerakshah Colony, Al-Zakura and adjoining areas. The 7.5 MLD STP at Hazratbal covers Hazratbal, Nigeen, Saidakadal, Kanitar, Sadrbal and Professor Brarinambal, among other areas.
The government said these functional STPs conform to Central Pollution Control Board norms.
On weed growth, the government said it was not possible to declare any particular part of Dal Lake completely weed-free because aquatic vegetation is continuously changing according to season, location and environmental conditions.
Deweeding is carried out regularly and periodically, with Rs 3.05 crore spent in 2023-24, Rs 4.21 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 3.50 crore in 2025-26.
The JKLCMA outsourced deweeding work to Iqbal Trading Corporation in 2023-24 and Globe Labour & Securities Ltd in 2024-25 and 2025-26.
The government said more than 10,000 cubic metres of weed is collected from Dal Lake annually and transported to a NAFED plant for conversion into bio-fertilisers. It added that the operation also generates employment through the engagement of labourers while contributing to the conservation and preservation of the lake.
