Kashmir houseboats are sinking. Will this heritage be lost for good?

By: Imtiyaz Ahmed Shah

Srinagar: One of Kashmir’s most unique heritage icons – houseboats – are today sinking in alarming numbers, creating widespread worries in Kashmir and among heritage lovers beyond that this prized heritage might be on the verge of being lost for good.

Houseboats designers and makers, approached by Ziraat Times to understand the genesis of the sinking problem, maintain that one of the main reasons for the increasing loss of houseboats, mainly in Dal Lake and the Jhelum river, is the lack of necessary maintenance which is not being possible either due to unavailablility of the houseboat-grade timber or simply lack of capital with the houaeboat owners in undertaking the necessary repairs.

The recent government directive barring renewal of registration of existing houseboats and announcing new guidelines for new registrations and ban on maintenance have created their own problems, making the future of houseboats uncertain, sector watchers maintain.

Alarmingly, for various reasons, the number of houseboats in Srinagar, according to houseboat makers, has gone down from about 2960 to the current 900.

Hamid Wangnoo, president of Kashmir Houseboat Owners Association, while speaking to Ziraat Times, informed that in the recent snowfall alone, three houseboats sank in Dal Lake, taking the total number of houseboats that have sunk in the last two months to nine.

“Due to a total decline of tourism in Kashmir, we cannot maintain our houseboats because they need maintenance, repair and renovation from time to time”, he said, adding they had presented to the state authorities a charter of demands, which included compensation for business loss, subsidized timber for repairment as per the previous practice and permission for repair and renovation.

Meanwhile, Nigeen Tourist Trade Association (NTTA) has expressed its grief over the loss of property of poor houseboat owners who, according to the body, have “virtually lost everything accumulated over the years towards their service to the houseboat industry.”

“This is a second incident in this month where a heritage property got collapsed due to the inability of the houseboat owner to repair the houseboat in time owing to their weak financial conditions keeping in view the current circumstances of the tourist trade”, NTTA President, Manzoor Wangnoo, said in a statement to Ziraat Times.

The houseboat owners in Dal Lake have requested government authorities to look into the matter seriously lest this important heritage might be lost permanently.

Salman Farooq, a researcher, who has done research on houseboat economics in Kashmir, believes that if houseboat owners are unable to earn and have no means to undertake the necessary repairs for another one year, many more houseboats could sink.

“Just imagine, they have earned no income since 5 August, 2019. How could they make their ends meet with no other reliable source of income? How about those owners who have taken loans from banks and are unable to repay? Imagine if the current state of affairs continues for another year, what could happen?”, Mr Salman told Ziraat Times.

Meanwhile, Nigeen Tourist Traders Association (NTTA) has also urged the district administration “to extend financial assistance and compensation to the victim families.”

“In addition, we request them to allot them a plot (of land, if not already issued) so that this association with the help of Kashmir Welfare Trust will be able to assist the victim families in constructing concrete dwelling units”, NTTA said in a statement.