Members of Save Powai Lake campaign have requested him to direct BMC for ‘more planned’ cleaning

Powai lake, one of the most picturesque spots of the city, becomes a cause of concern to its nearby residents every monsoon. With just a couple of months left for the onset of monsoons this year, locals are trying to put pressure on the civic body to speed up its desiltation process in the lake.

Members of the Save Powai Lake campaign, started in 2000 for reviving the disappearing lake, have written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and urged him to direct the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to execute the process of cleaning, desilting and plugging of the sewer lines in a more planned way. “The Centre has set aside Rs 637 crore for National Lake Conservation and Desiltation and Beautification works. Work at the lake is being done at the cost of Rs 90 crore. The lake has survived for about 118 years and can see more such years if citizens and the civic body work together for its revival. We have written a letter to the PM as he is also in charge of the environment and forest department,” said Sudhir Shetty, campaign member and general secretary, BJP’s South Cell region.

The residents are miffed with the BMC’s “half-baked” way of working by starting desiltation without proper planning. “Since 2000, we have been observing the work done by the civic body at the lake. Earlier, they planned bio-remedial process to revive and beautify the water body but they stopped the process in between. About Rs 2 crore were used in the work,” said Shetty.

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