Controlling the water hyacinth in Powai Lake, which has near destroyed its marine life, is not as difficult as it seems.
Controlling the water hyacinth in Powai Lake, which has near destroyed its marine life, is not as difficult as it seems.
The hyacinth has come to cover over half the 688-hectare, and along with the highly polluted silt settled on the lake bed is fast killing organisms that made the lake what it is.
A weed that has its origin in South America, hyacinth is a free-floating perennial plant that can grow to a height of three feet.
Its dark green leaves, circular to elliptical in shape, consume vast amounts of oxygen that is crucial to the survival of water life.
What is necessary is complete elimination of the world’s worst weed, that can otherwise highly benefit the construction industry. According to Prof Sunil Naik of IIT (Bombay), the plant can be put to various uses like bio-gas and brick manufacturing.
“The silt in the lake can be used for making bricks, and if chopped, water hyacinth mixed with the silt can produce super-strong bricks,” Naik says.
According to information, the pollution in Powai Lake is far beyond permissible limits. All the waste from chemical and electroplating industries around the lake have released millions of gallons untreated water into it, resulting in high levels of mercury, cyanide and other hazardous chemicals.
The anaerobic and organic compounds are flown into the lake along with drainage from surrounding area coupled with chemical waste from the IIT have been another reason for polluting in the lake.
Naik feels that if desilted, the lake can again be a rich ground for healthy marine life apart from attracting marine birds, even migratory ones that feed on fish and water insects.
“The growth of hyacinth if checked regularly can be kept well under control. This we have proven by the weekly drives to remove the plant from the lake,” Naik adds.
NCC cadets from IIT led by Naik used to remove the plant from the lake every Saturday and removed plants used to be burnt after a week.
“The practice that proved to be highly useful, was discontinued in 1997 out of a rising danger crocodiles in the lake,” Naik said.
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