The Dal Lake without houseboats
The Dal Lake in Srinagar, one of Kashmir's most famous landmarks, is choking. And, as usual, man is the culprit.
Pollution levels in the lake, in the centre of Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital, have been at alarming levels for a while.
And now, the authorities have decided that houseboats, another instantly recognisable Kashmir feature, are to blame.
Hundreds of floating hotels are being removed to save the Dal from an ecological disaster.
Text: Mukhtar Ahmad
Photograph:TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images