With rising urbanisation in areas around Powai lake, civic officials said that a large quantity of sewage is discharged into the lake which has also led to increase in vegetation like water hyacinth and other unwanted plants in the lake.
Amid concerns over the deteriorating condition of Powai lake, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has finalised plans to lay sewage lines to divert wastewater and also install a sewage treatment plant (STP) with the capacity of 8 MLD over the next 18 months. The tendering process for the two projects is now in the final leg and likely to be finalised next week. While the civic body is currently removing the water hyacinth that affects water quality, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar on Tuesday directed officials to issue the final work orders on the project within a week by expediting the tendering process.
With rising urbanisation in areas around Powai lake, civic officials said that a large quantity of sewage is discharged into the lake which has also led to increase in vegetation like water hyacinth and other unwanted plants in the lake. In what adversely affects the water quality and biodiversity in the lake, the vegetation ends up covering the lake surface, which prevents sunlight from seeping in and also impedes growth of aquatic plants and obstructs the food chain.
To remove these unnecessary growths, the civic body is currently undertaking measures to remove the water hyacinth from the lake. In the past six months, the BMC has already removed nearly 25,000 metric tonnes of water hyacinth. Even so, the levels of water have continued to rise amid the increased discharge of sewage in the water body. According to civic officials, nearly 18 million litres of sewage water flows into the lake.
Taking stock of the situation, AMC (projects) Bangar on Tuesday convened a meeting with senior officials wherein he directed that the permanent solution lies in diverting sewage through channels. Eyeing a permanent solution, the civic body has floated two separate tenders to improve the quality of water levels at Powai lake. These encompass laying new sewage channels and construction of an 8-MLD sewage treatment plant.
Of the total 18 MLD sewage flowing into Powai lake, nearly eight million litres is proposed to be treated at the new treatment plant, before being discharged back to the lake. Of the remaining, eight million litres will be diverted to the STP in Bhandup while the other two million litres will be diverted for treatment to the STP near Mithi River.
After the work order is issued by next week, officials said that construction work is expected to be completed over the next 18 months.
The review meeting comes along the heels of the activist group, NatConnect Foundation writing to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the civic chief Bhushan Gagrani on May 19 to clear the invasive water plants. “The officials need to check if any sewer lines are opening into the lake as the hyacinth growth has not been under check. Hyacinth adversely impacts biodiversity and it blocks the sun rays in the lake,” said the mail.
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