THE POWAI LAKE

Powai Lake today, pre-monsoon picture

Two years back, I worked on a project on the Powai Lake with my friend Anantika, and we ended up amassing a huge amount of material, from pictures to interviews we had taken of various personalities, to self-made articles, letters, skits, poems, reports; not to mention the experience we garnered through many field trips we took. The pictures in this article are all those i had clicked while working on the project. I had attemped to give a complete picture of the situation by penning this fact-based article, which I came across again a few days back. And here it is. 

The Powai Lake was built in 1891 by taking a stream tributary of the Mithi river to build two 10m dams across 2 hillocks to collect rainwater. This formed the lake which was initially named after a Parsi merchant- Framaji Kavasji, to whom the land where the lake was built was leased before it was bought by the British government to build the lake.

The Mithi Lake tributary  we saw on a trip (in 2010)

The purpose of the lake, when it was built, was to supply water to Powai [which was composed of five villages then] and was also intended as an anti-famine measure. But over the years, by the 1990s, its waters had become so polluted that it was declared unfit to drink. 

In the early 19^th century, as India struggled to achieve independence, the lake was a centre of anti-colonial activity. IIT, the Indian institute of technology, was formed in the late 1950s. The landscape, which till then had contained sparse vegetation, slowly turned greener. By the next few decades, lush green vegetation dominated the land. The land near the lake was especially rich in biodiversity.

But the creation of IIT also marked the gradual downfall of the lake. For a period of time, IIT, like other colonies around the lake, would dump it’s sewage into the lake. But when pollution levels in the lake became pronounced, the Institute took an active interest in the rejuvenation of the lake, starting with banning the dumping of sewage into the lake. Other colonies and buildings around the lake must follow this example.

Many posh hotels and restaurants, housing colonies, as well as mechanical garages and industries cropped up around the lake in the early 1990s. they contributed largely to the pollution levels in the lake- the restaurants and housing colonies would dump their wastes and sewage in the lake while the mechanical garages and industries would use the water of the lake for cooling, dumping the same water back into the lake. This affected the aquatic organisms in the lake negatively.

Flora around the Lake- during Monsoon season (2010)

Fauna- a red dragonfly near the Lake (2010) (took a long while to get a perfect shot)

As for the biodiversity- the pollution in the lake affected it both positively and negatively. While the aquatic animals like the fishes and crocodiles were negatively impacted- high contents of lead and mercury were found in the tissues of the fish; crocodile population dwindled to less than 30- the pollution attracted newer migratory bird species. How? The pollution in the lake was a breeding ground for many insects, which were the reason for more migratory birds arriving each year. But where you could spy several multicolored butterflies fluttering around just a few decades back, now you can barely spot any.

Also, the pollution in the lake increased to such an extent that the depth of the lake came down rapidly. It could barely hold any water. Its pH level increased to 7.2.  Another cause for concern were the weeds, mainly the water hyacinth with its purple-and-white flowers which covered the lake in the monsoon and, like most other weeds hogged up the oxygen and nutrients in the water, affecting the other living organisms in the water.

Now the Powai Lake has only two uses- as a coolant for industries like L&T and as a scenic and tourist spot.

As concern for the lake grew at the turn of the century, many NGOs came up to raise awareness and funds to save the lake.  Rallies were held and human chains were made around the lake. Local leaders were roped in to help save the lake. De-silting efforts were undertaken and weeding was done in the monsoon. But these efforts were left only half done.  The sewage treatment plant nearby is now out of use and no efforts are being taken to resurrect it.

The de-silting process is being done only every two years or so, and that, too, in an incomplete way. Even the weeding is not extensively done- the weeds come creeping back without fail every monsoon. Methods of weeding which ensure permanent removal of weeds should be undertaken, and stringent measures should be enforced to make sure that the weeds don’t come back. The third thing to prevent pollution in the lake is to stop the inflow of sewage- both organic and inorganic- into the lake. More sewage treatment plants could be set up to combat this problem.

Woefully inadequate- Silting measures (2010)

Deceptively pretty- Hyacinth flowers (2010)

But more important than these government-based measures, we need the general populace to be more aware. Littering is also a factor in the pollution of the lake. The Ganesh idol immersions are responsible for polluting the lake every Ganesh Chaturthi season. There are many little aggravating factors which can only be turned around if everybody is aware of the detrimental effects of their actions.

Notice at the lake

And yet...

We need to act NOW. This lake, as well as many others in the country, is dying. Unless action is taken immediately, we will have to face the adverse effects of our actions, ending up harming ourselves irreparably.

Inter-School rally we participated in to Save The Lake, on Earth Day (2010)