In a bid to improve the quality of water, BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has finally decided to clean Powai Lake. Earlier, this week, the administration had floated a Rs 16.45 tender, aiming to clear hyacinths from the water body. A contractor will be appointed, whose responsibility will involve cleaning hyacinths and transporting it to nearby dumping grounds.
"Tenders have already been floated and the work will be done in the next six months. Hyacinths are spoiling the water body and affecting aqua life adversely," a senior BMC official told the Free Press Journal on Thursday.
Hyacinths are like floating vegetation known to grow in water bodies that have a high presence of waste. Officials said that more than 25 per cent of the lake is now covered with hyacinths and BMC intends to clean it entirely by the end of this year.
"Special amphibious vehicles and harvester machines will be used to clear hyacinths along with other waste. The collected waste will be then transferred to the local dumping ground. The drive will be supervised by an engineer," said the official. Officials also maintained that this will be one of the first phases of its clean up drive. In the future, sewer pipes will be installed to prevent waste from getting discharged into the lake and through storm water drains instead.
However, experts have said that these clean up drives need to be done once every month and not after four to five years. Stalin Dayanand, director of Vanashakti, said that hyacinths are proof that Powai Lake is filled with organic waste and the water has not been treated for a long time.
"The lake is an eco-sensitive zone. It is home to crocodiles and other marine species. Hyacinths need to be done every month or the deposit will contaminate the water," Stalin said.
Furthermore, he said that the central government had allocated funds for the upkeep of Powai Lake back in 2017. Floating vehicles were purchased to clean the lake, which have been lying unused for more than four years. "We have been working for the past few years to understand the discharge channels, from where organic waste gets dumped into the lake. We are pretty much sure that sewerage water from nearby hotels, housing societies and IIT Bombay gets discharged into the lake," Stalin said.
