The Himalayan state's Comptroller and
Auditor General said that tests of water samples collected at the lake showed a
high presence of metals like iron, manganese, copper, lead, cadmium and arsenic.
"Effects of these elements
can cause damage to brain, liver and kidneys of the consumers", the report
warned.
The scenic Dal lake in the
heart of Kashmir's summer capital, Srinagar, is surrounded by snow-capped
mountains and is home to 2,000 ornately-carved pinewood houseboats, whose owners
are still dependent on tourism despite 17 years of a violent insurgency.
More than 400,000 tourists
visited Indian Kashmir in 2006 and thousands of fishermen and farmers live on
and near the lake.
The report said an increasing
amount of waste and sewage was being discharged into the Dal lake and
accumulating in the fish and water which was then consumed by humans, posing a
serious health risk.
The CAG report said arsenic,
which was found to be present almost 1,000 times more than what is permissible,
also threatened several species of fish.
Seventeen out of
______