Shazia Ambreen
Recently, a young girl in Srinagar who lives in the world-famous Dal Lake shot to world fame. This young girl Jannat has appeared in the textbook in southern region Hyderabad for her eco-friendly gesture of cleaning Dal Lake.
“It is a proud moment for me. Every father would want this day to come in his life,” says Tariq Ahmad, father of Jannat.
This 7-year-old girl lives in the Dal Lake and started cleaning it at the age of 5.
“When I saw the people coming here to enjoy, they throw plastic bags and others left out in the waters of this lake,” she told The Legitimate. “I was getting disappointed and began to clean the Dal Lake”.
When Jannat two years ago set on this journey, she hogged the headlines in international media. But little did she know that she will get her name mentioned in Man Ki Baat by Prime Minister Narender Modi.
Narender Modi mentioned her in Man Ki Baat and termed as an inspiration to millions of other children of the country who can help in safeguarding the environment from degradation.
“I felt very good when I heard that Prime Minister has made a mention of my name in his Man Ki Baat,” Jannat says with huge excitement.
When asked how she manages to clean the Dal Lake despite no let-up in garbage throwing into the waters.
“I tell them first that this garbage shall not be thrown into the waters. And then I clean up myself,” she says.
Jannat, however, shying to ask the same thing to the tourists.
“I can even ask tourists not to throw the plastic and other filth into the Lake. But I then realize that they have come here to enjoy so I don’t disturb them and do it myself”.
The Dal Lake situated at Srinagar is the centre of attraction of tourists. Several thousand families living in the waters of Dal Lake are surviving completely on the tourism industry. The depleting condition of Dal Lake, however, is posing severe challenges to their livelihood.
“I am living here and own a houseboat by which I make my living. But if the present situation continues and no attention is given to the Dal Lake to restore its pristine glory, we will die of starvation,” says Tariq Ahmad.
Moreover, Tariq says that since Kashmir is more known for its mesmerizing beauty with significant contribution of Dal lake to it, we need to aware our children about its importance.
In a long term goal of restoring the actual position of Dal Lake, Jannat can only be an inspiration as it is impossible for her to clean the Dal lake.
“I knew Jannat cannot do it alone. But she has become an icon for millions of other children who can now protect the water bodies in their vicinity and take charge of protecting the environment for themselves and generations to come.
