The residents of Powai have given a call of ‘Chalo Powai Lake’ to the concerned citizens of Mumbai to participate in a silent human chain around the lake demanding action to save the lake from water hyacinth. The residents have alleged that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) lake cleaning efforts will prove to be useless until there is a permanent solution to sewage water being dumped in the lake.
The Free Press Journal had reported on May 19 about the campaigns launched by residents of Powai and other city environmentalists to save Powai Lake, spread across 200 hectares, from water hyacinth that has engulfed the scenic lake. While an environmentalist had written to the chief minister and municipal commissioner demanding immediate actions to save the biodiversity spot, the locals started an online petition and social media campaign, through Save Powai Lake forum, to spread awareness about the issue.
On Sunday June 8, the residents will organise a silent human chain at the selfie point at Powai Lake to call for effective action to save the lake from the harmful water weed. “That green blanket on Powai Lake is not nature, it’s a warning. Water hyacinth is an invasive weed that blocks sunlight, depletes oxygen, and suffocates the lake, driving away fish, harming biodiversity, and risking the lake’s survival,” read a social media post by Save Powai Lake.
On Monday, The Free Press Journal had reported that the BMC has removed around 1,450 metric tonnes of hyacinth using fine harvest machines from the lake in a cleanup drive started from May 23. However, the residents have alleged that the removal of the weed will not effectively solve the entire issue as the weed will keep coming back due to untreated sewage water being dumped in the lake.
Pamela Cheema, a resident of Powai who has been leading the Save Powai Lake forum, said, “The lake has reached this stage due to neglect from many years. In my 24 years of living in Powai, I have not seen any major effort to save this important wetland of Mumbai. The authorities should have made sure that the sewage water does not go into the lake right when they decided to develop the areas. The citizens are completely upset about it.”
