Nagpur: The ‘floating’ cycle developed by CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri) to clean water bodies was a major attraction at the Futala Lake, where the device was handed over to the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Saturday, and many couldn’t stop themselves from taking rides.
Demonstration was given on skimming debris from the lake with the cycle, which was launched to mark Neeri’s Diamond Jubilee Foundation day. Municipal commissioner Ashwin Mudgal received the cycle on behalf of the NMC from Neeri director Rakesh Kumar.
The cycle is equipped with a propeller and paddle wheel at the back churns water providing aeration for the water body, thus increasing the dissolved oxygen level. It has a mesh basket attached in the front to collect floating garbage. Beside using the device for recreational activity, people riding it can also contribute in cleaning the lake.
For safety, each rider was made to wear a life jacket. Sachin Mathurkar, who got an opportunity to ride the cycle, said, “I had only heard about this initiative but couldn’t imagine its working. Interestingly, it is such a simple yet effective technology which is not only advantageous for lakes but also the health of the individual riding it. I’m sure that if more such cycles are brought here, it will become altogether an attractive activity for the youngsters.”
Agreeing with Sachin, his brother Narendra said, “For me, it is not less than an adventure ride. It is high time we paid attention to the deteriorating condition of lakes in our city and there can be no better way to do it.”
“Neeri has vast knowledge about technologies that save water bodies, but the experiments are performed in isolation. So, we roped in NGO Paryavaran Prerna Vidarbha to reach out to the community,” said Atya Kapley, senior principal scientist and head of director’s research cell at Neeri.
Kumar said, “This is just a prototype and we might come up with more modifications after studying the cycle’s working. We want this to work out well in the long run so that people can use it. We will also look into the operational and safety aspects.”
