A famous tourist spot in India is getting some long overdue restoration work done. The scenic Dal Lake is in the heart of Kashmir's summer capital of Srinagar. It's now undergoing a major facelift after years of deterioration.

It’s surrounded by snow-capped mountains and attracts nearly half a million visitors a year.

But lately Dal Lake has been in the news for its deteriorating condition.

Now authorities have deployed around 2,000 workers to manually remove the weeds choking this lake.

Workers and de-weeding machines are working non-stop around the clock.

[Usman, Laborer]:
"Here thousands of laborers are working around the clock; they are working very hard because the lake was very dirty. The cleaning up process is going to beautify Dal Lake to attract tourists."

The project's engineer says the work should be finished within a year or two.

[N. Kaul, Chief Engineer]:
"This project has been sanctioned by the government of India under the ministry of environment and forest. It's approximately a three billion U.S. dollar project and over one billion U.S. dollars has been spent in the last four to five years.”

The authorities are also installing lighting to enhance lake views during the night.

Owners of the 2,000 ornately-carved houseboats here rely on tourists, so this restoration work will mean more visitors in the years to come.