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Viral Dal Lake Cleanup Spurs School Conservation Role for Dutch Volunteer

After five years of solo trash removal from Srinagar’s Dal Lake, Ellis Hubertina Spaanderman has been tapped by the J&K Lake Conservation and Management Authority to bring her expertise into local classrooms.

A Dutch woman’s video goes viral. Image Source: Times Now’/ Instagram
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The clip shared on social media showed the foreigner slowly floating the boat and gathering plastic bags and used bottles from the lake.

Overview

  • Ellis Hubertina Spaanderman has spent five years rowing through Dal Lake to collect plastic and waste without any outside funding.
  • Cleanup videos originally shared by The Kashmir Today and reshared by the Kashmir Rights Forum have drawn widespread praise across Facebook and X.
  • The J&K Lake Conservation and Management Authority’s vice-chairman requested Spaanderman’s direct involvement in school environmental programs.
  • Beyond her daily boat missions, Spaanderman cycles through Srinagar to model sustainable habits and documents her efforts on Instagram.
  • Her grassroots activism has spotlighted chronic pollution in Dal Lake and inspired growing local support for broader conservation efforts.