Dirty And Stinking: Dal Lake Victim Of Kashmir Shutdown As Weed Chokes Hotspot indiatoday.in

The Dal Lake in Srinagar is in a sorry state with weeds covering it. The lake was reportedly not cleaned for over 15 days after restrictions were imposed in Kashmir. Around a month back the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) government issued a security advisory to tourists and Amarnath Yatra pilgrims to curtail their stay in Kashmir. As authorities came knocking following the advisory, most hotels in tourist hotspots, including the iconic Dal Lake in Srinagar, were emptied. Tourists in the Valley were asked to pack up. As the Kashmir Valley runs dry of tourists following the Centre imposing restrictions after the abrogation of Article 370 provisions, tourism has taken the worst hit. With only a hundred visitors seen in Kashmir today despite the advisory, Srinagar’s Dal Lake is a mess now. Once the most frequented tourist spot, Dal Lake has now become a picture of gloom with weed and garbage choking its water — foul stench hanging heavy in the air.