Bhopal Upper Lake: Hyacinth Removal Drive Raises Concerns Over Aquatic Life

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): National Green Tribunal (NGT) has stepped in to protect aquatic life in Upper Lake from the harmful impact of pesticide spraying on water chestnut crops.

However, Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) has intensified water hyacinth removal drive, raising concerns that the use of heavy machinery will harm the lake’s aquatic ecosystem.

The NGT had taken suo motu cognizance of pesticide spraying on nearly 60 hectares of water chestnut cultivation in the Upper Lake.

The Tribunal also raised concerns over the rapid spread of water hyacinth, declining dissolved oxygen levels and fish deaths.

It constituted a three-member joint committee to inspect the lake and submit a factual and action-taken report within six weeks.

BMC intensifies removal

From Thursday, immediately after the hearing, the BMC’s lake conservation cell carried out a major clean-up operation in Upper Lake. The team removed large quantities of water hyacinth from a 100-metre stretch beneath the solar panels along VIP Road.

Removal work beneath Raja Bhoj Setu is also continuing. According to BMC, weed enters the lake with rainwater and is being removed as part of its regular lake conservation efforts.

However, the manner in which the removal is being carried out has triggered questions over whether the drive is being undertaken without adequate ecological planning.

Aquatic life caught in machinery

Thick layers of water hyacinth have become habitats for several species. Birds have reportedly built nests among the vegetation, with eggs and hatchlings present in some areas.

During mechanical removal, these sections are lifted along with the weed, creating a risk to nests and young birds.

Turtles, fish and frogs may also get trapped in the machinery during the operation, raising concerns that an exercise intended to protect the lake could inadvertently damage its ecosystem.

‘Sewage inflow is real problem’

Saurabh Popli, associate professor at School of Planning and Architecture, said the shoreline ecosystem should not be disturbed in the name of removing water hyacinth.

“Any operation to remove water hyacinth should be conducted with the assistance of ecosystem experts,” he said, adding that the present practice of assigning the work to engineers using heavy machinery could harm aquatic life.

Popli said the proliferation of water hyacinth was not merely a surface-level problem.

Polluted water and sewage entering the lake are the root causes. Unless sewage inflow is completely stopped, the weed cannot be permanently controlled.

He also pointed at sewage entering water bodies from unauthorised colonies developed by encroaching upon rivers and drains, calling for an integrated plan rather than fragmented action by different departments.

Quote

"BMC is taking care during the operation. The removal process is being carried out with care. No aquatic life is being deliberately removed, though some may have been taken out inadvertently."

Santosh Gupta, BMC chief engineer, lake conservation cell