Bandipora, Oct 5 :The administration in Bandipora district are uplifting the infrastructure , engaging social media and various communities to promote Wular Lake tourism.
Efforts are also on to facilitate tourists wishing to visit Wular Lake and spend some time exploring it, officials said.
The administration recently installed metal signage–I Love Wular–in Wular Vintage park overlooking the expanses of Wular Lake, attracting a significant number of local visitors for a selfie or a photograph.
The social media is also abuzz with the conservation works, pointing out the deteriorated condition of the Lake over the years. Authorities are discouraging the massive garbage dumping site on the banks of the Wular Lake in Bandipora town for decades.
Deputy Commissioner Bandipora, Owais Ahmad while talking to the Greater Kashmir said, “The dredging works by WUCMA (Wular conservation and management authority) are on. The main purpose of the project is to remove excessive siltation and clean the Lake so that more water holds inside it. The dredging works have significantly beautified the Lake further.” .
WUCMA is dredging over three square kilometres of the Lake at a cost of Rs 200 crores . The critically silted area as per the survey conducted by the department is over 27 sq km, while the demarcated lake size is 130 sq km.
“The area of Wular Lake, which is the only drainage for the four main rivers and three main lakes, has shrunk from 130 sq. kms to 24 sqkms due to encroachments and accumulation of thousands of tonnes of silt annually. In this context, WUCMA is carrying out dredging to remove the accumulated silt and re-verifying the boundaries of Wular to ascertain the encroachments for a time-bound recovery,” the authority website mentioned.
Ahmad said, Wular which is a world-famous freshwater Lake needed no introduction, and many tourists from various places desire to visit the Lake. To facilitate tourists and promote tourism around here, the infrastructure is being further uplifted, he said.
“These include social media campaigns, area development and the already existing infrastructure being renovated,” he said.
Ahmad added that their efforts are to outsource the huts or accommodations and improve them with all the facilities so that tourists have a clean and comfortable stay.
The local youth clubs and village level communities are being involved.