As tourists start arriving in J-K, Dal Lake houseboat or Shikara owners hope to recover earlier losses by trying to provide good services. The houseboat business in Srinagar, which was facing several problems during the past few years, has been further affected by the discharge of sewage into Dal Lake and the effects of the Covid pandemic.
Tourism is a major source of livelihood in Jammu and Kashmir and when the Covid-19 pandemic hit tourism, the houseboat owners were further affected. However, as tourists have started arriving now, the houseboat or Shikara owners are trying their best to provide good services to recover the earlier losses.
Another problem is that many houseboats were damaged due to floods and fire accidents. Some houseboats sank. At present, only 928 houseboats are available in the two famous lakes, Dal Lake and Nigeen Lake. So the government recently announced a policy to preserve houseboats.
About 1,200 boats were registered here, but slowly the condition started deteriorating in 1989. The Lakes Conservation Management Authority (LCMA) manages affairs here despite the difficult situation.
Blogs
