Mumbai: 125-yr-old Powai lake to get a makeover, get protection from filth

Mumbai: 125-yr-old Powai lake to get a makeover, get protection from filth

Housing societies located near the lake are the main source of pollution

Mumbai's Powai lake, which has been witnessing increasing levels of pollution, is once again set to get a clean sweep. This time, the BMC has come up with a solution to stop the complete ingress of sewage discharge through storm water drain lines. The project will kick off in the next few months.

According to officials, there are about 17 floodgates that carry sewage water into Powai lake. The civic body has planned to construct a small bund inside the storm water drains so that sewage can be diverted to the nearest sewerage treatment plant.

Apart from this, the BMC is also planning to set up a musical fountain inside the lake, install CCTV cameras and LED lights, and construct a cycling path along the stretch.

Reviving the lake
The civic body said that it is going to spend R7.5 crore on the project. Speaking to mid-day, additional municipal commissioner, Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, who is in-charge of the project said, "The sewage discharge is damaging the lake and killing its marine life. We are going to put bunds in all the storm water lines. With this, we will be able to plug the sewage ingress into the lake; only rainwater will be allowed to flow in."

However, activists are not happy with the plan. Secretary for the NGO, PAWS-Mumbai, Sunish Subramanian said, "The sewerage discharge should be stopped completely. Creating a bund will not get the desired solution since there is a chance of sewerage still flowing into the lake. Also, there is no need to spend public money on creating a fountain and installing other artificial equipment.

Crores down the drain
In the last 10 years, this is the third time the civic body has come up with a plan to beautify and clean the 125-year-old Powai lake. In the past, the BMC has spent over R50 crore on cleaning up the lake.

The first plan came up in 2006, which was completed in 2011 at a cost of R40 crore.

Last year, the civic body had awarded a R9 crore-contract for cleaning garbage, water hyacinths and silt inside Powai lake.