On July 24th, Srinagar’s Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) began purchasing machinery and equipment to turn Dal Lake’s garbage and weeds into compost.
Clean Effentech International Pvt Ltd (CEF) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) will be working together on the initiative, which will kick out in August of this year.
CEF Group will build a waste processing facility in Srinagar to handle and recycle garbage from Dal Lake.
The facility’s target annual output of organic manure is about 20,000 tonnes.
In an interview with Greater Kashmir, Vice Chairman of the Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) Dr. Bashir Ahmad Bhat confirmed the initiative’s progress.
All the required tools and machinery have been ordered, and construction will begin in August, he added.
He said that the valley’s agriculture industry stands to gain from the project’s efforts to recycle 70,000 tonnes of Dal waste, such as weeds and lilies, into organic manure.
The authorities claim that fixing the issue at its source is the project’s top priority.
Dal Lake’s trash disposal causes hundreds of tonnes of pollution each year. The project’s goal, as stated by authorities, is “to make organic manure readily available to farmers in the valley at reasonable costs by producing organic manure,” which will help with waste management.
Nadeem Qadri, an environmental lawyer, told Greater Kashmir that while the LCMA’s efforts to turn weeds into organic manure are to be commended, it is important to keep in mind that excessive extraction could have a negative impact on the lake’s ecology and biodiversity.
“I am sure proper scientific analysis was carried out by LCMA before initiating the project,” he stated.
Maninder Singh Nayyar, founder & CEO of CEF Group, had said that the effort will promote organic farming in the area, help individuals who work at Dal Lake, and encourage farmers to switch to organic methods.
The garbage processing factory, he claimed, will also provide locals with work.
It’s worth noting that organic manure is now imported from regions like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, resulting in exorbitant rates for farmers in Kashmir. Because of this reliance, farmers incur high transportation expenses.
