By Zubair Qureshi

Srinagar, Dec 17 (IANS) The beautiful lakes in the Kashmir Valley further enhance its beauty, and the Dal Lake in Srinagar is the most famous among all the lakes.

Every tourist who comes to Srinagar visits the Dal Lake. However, pollution and other problems are destroying the beauty of this pristine water body.

In view of this, the authorities have now taken several steps to restore the beauty of Dal Lake, which is also known as 'Jannat Arzi'.

The Jammu and Kashmir Lake Conservation and Management Authority (J&K LCMA) has taken up excavation of 13 channels of Dal Lake with the aim of restoring its water drainage system. According to the officials, the project will be completed in the next two months to further enhance the splendor of the lake.

According to Maisam Shabbir, junior engineer at J&K LCMA, this is the first time that such work has been undertaken.

"Work has been started on 13 channels of the lake with a length of 8.711 km. Their depth is reduced to 2 feet which is targeted to enhanced to 10 feet," he said.

Due to pollution and illegal encroachment, the area of this vast lake is gradually decreasing, threatening its historical and ecological importance.

"Restoring the glory of the lake has been our demand for a long time. Although work on it was started many times, no substantial results have come out," said a local resident.

People living around Dal Lake say that the administration should restore the water channels so that the splendor of the lake could be restored.