The Jammu and Kashmir government has set up a committee to declare Srinagar’s famous Dal Lake and its surrounding areas as an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ).

The ten-member committee has been set up following concerns over Dal Lake shrinking size.

According to an assessment by the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) in 2017, Pollution and encroachments have resulted in the Dal Lake shrinking from its original area of 22 square kilometers to about 10 square kilometers.

The committee comprises of Chief Conservator for Forests, Director of the Tourism Department, Vice-Chairman of the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority, Director of Industries Department, Commissioner of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), Kashmir’s Regional Wildlife Warden, Regional Director of the State Pollution Control Board, Director of the Agriculture Department, the Chief Town Planner and a representative of the Law Department.