{
  "id": 7460355,
  "title": "Dal Lake’s weed problem finds an unlikely craft fix",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/dal-lakes-weed-problem-finds-an-unlikely-craft-fix",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-15T03:25:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/what-was-choking-dal-lake-is-now-shaping-kashmirs-traditional-art/articleshow/134251033.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Srinagar, a city in Kashmir, is home to the famous Dal Lake, known for its floating gardens, houseboats, and a mesmerizing Himalayan backdrop. The lake has attracted numerous visitors, including Beatles guitarist George Harrison in 1966, who met sitar maestro Ravi Shankar while staying on a houseboat. However, the lake has been grappling with a weed problem, with authorities regularly removing aquatic weeds to maintain clear waterways.\n\nSimran Irshad, a 35-year-old Kashmiri artisan, has found an unlikely solution to the weed issue by incorporating them into her centuries-old craft of papier-mache. This traditional art form, rooted in Persian craftsmanship, is renowned for its brightly painted boxes, trays, ornaments, and Christmas decorations, adorned with intricate floral, bird, and paisley motifs.\n\nIrshad sought a more affordable and locally available material to address the rising cost of paper, which had made the traditional papier-mache technique increasingly expensive. After months of experimentation, she discovered that dried and pulverized weeds, mixed with recycled paper pulp and a binding agent, formed a durable and cost-effective substitute.\n\nFor the past 100 years, the papier-mache craft has been made using only paper. Irshad believes that utilizing the lake weeds can not only increase production but also make the craft more durable and affordable. To collect the weeds, she uses a boat, dries and processes them in her workshop, and has found that lake weeds, with their higher moisture content, are most suitable for the craft.\n\nIrshad has trained around 50 women in making paper products using the weed-based technique, with 15 currently working with her. She aspires to expand the initiative but acknowledges that more support is needed to provide employment opportunities for additional women.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Dal Lake in Kashmir famous for floating gardens and houseboats",
    "Weed problem affects water clarity, requires regular removal",
    "Artisan Simran Irshad uses lake weeds in centuries-old papier-mache craft"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Using Dal Lake weeds in papier-mache production makes the traditional craft more durable and affordable, while also creating new economic opportunities for local women.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}