Metro work stalls Powai lake beautification plans

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s plans to beautify Powai lake has been stalled owing to start of work on the Metro 6 line connecting Andheri-Lokhandwala Complex to Kanjurmarg.

Ramesh Bamble, deputy municipal commissioner (special engineering), said the BMC had decided to stall the beautification work as a Metro station is scheduled to be constructed near the lake. Mr. Bamble said, “There were two phases of beautification: within and outside the lake. All development proposals outside the lake have been put on hold for now. Proposals for improving the quality of water by aeration to develop marine life will stay on course.”

Mr. Bamble said the BMC had beautified about 2 km of the promenade in 2008 and Metro authorities “will make good the loss” if the promenade is affected while building the station.

The BMC recently sanctioned water monitoring systems to assess dissolved oxygen levels and water quality in the lake and ensure better marine life. The civic body is also working on diverting sewerage from neighbouring localities after environmentalists pointed out that the discharge of effluents was depleting of the quality of water in the lake.

Set up in 1891 and spread over 220 hectares, Powai lake is the city’s only inland lake and one of the 10 lakes in the country identified by the Union Environment Ministry for revival and development.

The BMC, however, has said that it would be stalling the proposal create a crocodile park on the lake. The proposal was to build separate basking and nesting zones to increase the number of crocodiles in the lake and attract tourists.