Consultant, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), Government of India
Dal-Nageen lakes are known as a tourist attraction and it also provides drinking water, fish and vegetables and recreational opportunities to the local population. Lake dwellers have legal proprietary rights over the land inside the Lake. The lake dwellers have been part and parcel of the lake ecosystem and have consequently caused certain stress on the lake ecosystem with their growing population. The Hamlets on which they reside within the lake have been discharging uncontrolled and untreated liquid and solid waste into the lake which has caused pollution and subsequent degradation. The tendency of conversion of floating gardens into solid land masses by dumping mud and weed from the lake on to the floating gardens has resulted in solid land masses prone to further encroachment by the lake dwellers. Various studies have been conducted by the Government agencies, private organisations and civil societies which have advocated for the conservation of lake through R&R of the lake dwellers, apart from other measures for conservation. The present paper discusses the requirement for rehabilitation and resettlement of lake dwellers, arrangement of funds to support R&R, problems in the implementation of R&R project with suggestions for better implementation R&R project.
