Srinagar, Sept. 22 -- Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's words this week about Dal Lake becoming cleaner due to conservation efforts over the last five years offer a glimmer of hope. More than a third of the water body has reportedly been rejuvenated, with its open expanse increased to over 20 square kilometres for the first time, the LG said. The administration's decision to join hands with citizens as part of Sewa Parv is welcome. Dal Lake, after all, is not just a tourist postcard, it is the very soul of Kashmir, and an ecological, cultural, and economic lifeline.

But despite some improvement in the lake's condition, there is a long way to go before even a modicum of its pristine glory is restored. The lake is choked by sewage, plastic...