A cleanliness drive in Srinagar's Dal Lake is in full swing amid the Covid-19 pandemic in order to maintain hygiene and restore the beauty of the lake.
Due to the rising temperature in the region, there has been an increase in the yield of weed and lily leaves in the two water bodies.
In a bid to ensure cleanliness in the lake, under the supervision of the Jammu and Kashmir Lakes and Waterways Development Authority, the authorities are constantly working and also following Covid-19 protocols of wearing a mask, using sanitisers and maintaining social distancing.
The drive will also bring back the glory of the famous world heritage site which attracts thousands of tourists every year.
Shabir Hussain, Assistant Executive Engineer of the development authority, informed that as many as 500 labours are employed in a day and said the cleanliness drive also created job opportunities for labourers amid the pandemic.
"This work generates employment for labourers, and serves another underlining benefit apart from general hygiene," he said.
Along with high tech machinery, authorities have also resort to manual cleaning process as machines cannot remove the weed from roots.
"The area of Dal lake is 25 square km, which is a huge area. It is a question of maintaining hygiene in the area and we know its importance even more after the pandemic. More than 9 lakh square km of the area needs to be cleaned. In a single day, we employ 500 labourers. Keeping in mind the COVID-19 SOPs, we have to take up this work. It will help the aquaculture also," added Hussain.
The residents of Srinagar said that if the lakes are not cleaned, a foul smell spreads in the area.
"It is very important to clean the lake as it starts smelling after some time. In the midst of the pandemic, such cleanliness drives are very important," said Abdul Rashid, a local resident.
Highlighting the importance of the drive, Muhammad Qasim, a labourer said that the cleanliness drive will reduce the potential of any other virus developing in the water body.
"After cleaning the lake, we can reduce the potential of any infections from any other virus. It will attract tourists also. Without the labour doing this work, the lake spread a bad smell in the area," he said.
At presently, lake authorities are working round the clock to restore the further beauty of the lake.
( With inputs from ANI )
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