Govt allows houseboats repair in a major relief to Dal Lake houseboat community in Kashmir

A major relief has come to the houseboat community living on the famous Dal Lake in the Kashmir Valley as the government has allowed repair and renovation work for century-old houseboats, which otherwise were on the brink  of collapse.

As per Kashmir Houseboat Owners Association (KHBOA) President Manzoor Ahmed Pakhtoon, “We are happy and the decision is seen as a relief to the people associated with the trade. Our industry had been pushing for the lifting of the ban for the repair and renovation of these houseboats for long, and now the permission for the repairs and construction has come to 19 houseboats on the Dal Lake”. 

_{(Still of houseboat-turned-shops on Dal Lake in Kashmir Valley)}

Even after some relief, now, the struggle for the industry is to find the craftsman who can do the repairs of these houseboats, as very few are left with the skilled art.

“There is a huge dearth of craftsmen who know the repair work of these houseboats.  Many of the skilled labourers have changed their profession, few have died while others got disinterested because of the ban on the repair of houseboats,” said President Pakhtoon. 

As per Pakhtoon, all houseboats need repair, some need minor repairs when others need major repairs that include waterproofing of the base, many of the houseboats don’t have deck facility (that needs to be constructed) etc. 

He informed that this time, more travellers are opting for ‘houseboat stay’ and in the first six months of the year, “around 30,000 visitors have stayed in Houseboat A, B and C category". 

_{(Apart from providing houseboats to the visitors, the Houseboat industry takes care of the environment of Dal Lake.)}

“Our Sewerage Treatment Plants are going to be connected soon, pipes have been placed and around 300 houseboats have been connected with STP pipelines, soon all the houseboats will be connected,'' said Manzoor Pakhtoon.

For long, the houseboat community has been pushing the government to declare the houseboat industry as a ‘heritage industry’.

“Once declared, it will give the Tourism Department a hope to boost the influx of people from across the world for sightseeing and experiencing the rich heritage of Jammu and Kashmir,” said KHBOA President. 

Pertinently, in 1988, the Farooq Abdullah-led government had banned the building of new houseboats and repair and renovation of the existing ones in Kashmir due to pollution concerns. 

Then, the government wanted to reduce the number of houseboats to save the environment. 

In 2009, the ban was reimposed after the concerned authorities informed Jammu and Kashmir High Court that houseboats were the primary reason for water pollution in Srinagar district.