Kangra administration dials ‘Lake Man’ to help revive Dharamshala’s Dal

Kangra deputy commissioner Hemraj Bairwa said they were seeking a sustainable and long-lasting solution to prevent the lake from drying up

With Dharamshala’s Dal Lake drying up once again this year, the Kangra administration is reaching out to Anand Malligavad, a Bengaluru-based conservationist known as the “Lake Man of India”.

Locals during a drive to rescue fish from the drying Dal Lake in Dharamshala. (File)

The lake’s desiccation has drawn strong reactions from locals due to its religious significance for the community. The administration has already contacted Malligavad, a techie-turned-lake-conservationist who has successfully revitalised several water bodies in Bengaluru.

Kangra deputy commissioner Hemraj Bairwa confirmed that they are in touch with Malligavad, stating, “We seek a sustainable and long-lasting solution to prevent the lake from drying up.”

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.

Another official mentioned that they have invited Malligavad for a meeting and shared with him a study conducted on the lake a few years ago.

Dharamshala hotel association president Ashwani Bamba said besides the religious importance of the lake, it is also a tourist spot visited by both domestic and international visitors. “Many tourists when they find the lake dried up get disappointed. If it is revived and properly developed it could become a major attractive tourist spot in Dharamshala. We have suggested to the district administration that the tourism department be made a nodal agency in all its revival and development plans,” he said.

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 started losing more water rapidly after desilting was done using earthmovers under a joint project carried out by the tourism and forest departments in 2008.

An amount of ₹40 lakh was spent on the exercise but it bore negative impact due to restoration work done in an unscientific manner and against the advice of geological experts from IIT-Roorkee, who had conducted a research on the lake. Later, a restoration project worth ₹70 lakh was approved to plug the leakage, but that too did not work.

Last year, the Jal Shakti department had used bentonite, also called drillers mud, to plug the leakage on the floor of the lake.