Kashmir's Iconic Houseboats Struggle to Stay Afloat

Ban on construction, renovation, raw material shortage add to decline

By: Majid Maqbool/S.M. Yaqoob

Kashmir’s houseboats, nestled in majestic lakes and rivers, once the preferred abode of local and foreign tourists, are staring into an uncertain future. A 1988 government ban on construction and refurbishment has cast a gloomy shadow on their preservation, and susceptibility towards fires has added to their decline.

Houseboa…