BMC plans 9-crore makeover for Powai lake in five years : Hindustan Times

The proposal will be tabled before the standing committee on Wednesday

SPREAD OVER 550 HECTARES, THE POWAI LAKE IS DYING BECAUSE OF ILLEGAL GARBAGE DUMPING AND SEWAGE WATER FLOWING INTO IT

MUMBAI: The beautiful Powai lake is marred by green masses of water hyacinths and floating garbage.

All this will go in the next five years as the lake is all set to get a makeover.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has plans to start the revival work of Powai lake by removing water hyacinths and dumped garbage.

The project will cost Rs8.77 crore and it will be done in two phases in the next five years. The first phase will be completed in a year and the second in four years.

The proposal to revive the lake will be tabled before the standing committee on Wednesday. Once it is approved, work on the lake project will start.

Spread over 550 hectares, the Powai lake, in the eastern suburbs, is dying because of illegal garbage dumping and sewage water flowing into it.

A senior civic official from hydraulic department said, “With the help of IIT-Bombay professor, we have completed the bathymetric survey and examined the lake water. We have reduced the drainage water flowing into the lake to some extent.”

Two years ago, the BMC for med Powai Lake Revival Committee under the chairmanship of IIT-Bombay professor Shyam Asolekar.

The committee suggested cleaning of the lake.

Under the revival project, the BMC has already beautified the garden along the lake.

Civic body has appointed Kinjal Construction — which bid above the cost estimated by the BMC —to clean the lake of garbage, water hyacinths and silt.

“The contractor will remove water hyacinths, clear garbage and transport it to a dumping ground. Since all three municipal dumping sites are full to its capacity, the contractor has been asked to identify a place to dump the waste,” said the civic official.