Under the Rs 1-crore project, the civic body will appoint a consultant that will prepare and submit a report on measures to stop the discharge of sewage and dirty water from drains into these lakes within one year after a work order is issued.
THE BRIHANMUMBAI Municipal Corporation (BMC) has proposed to rejuvenate the Sion Talao and Sheetal Talao in Kurla and Digeshwar Talao in Charkop to prevent sewage discharge, a major source of pollution, into the three water bodies.
Under the Rs 1-crore project, the civic body will appoint a consultant that will prepare and submit a report on measures to stop the discharge of sewage and dirty water from drains into these lakes within one year after a work order is issued.
The consultant, civic officials said, will also check the feasibility of treating sewage before it is discharged into lakes. A proposal for appointing a consultant will be tabled before the Standing Committee for approval.
“In past, these lakes were used as drinking water sources, however, after dams were built and drinking water was brought through taps, they were abandoned and slowly encroached. Many of these lakes disappeared with rapid urbanisation development,” an official from the BMC said. The water quality in these lakes also deteriorated over years with discharge of sewage and dirty water from the city.
Earlier, the civic body had taken up beautification work of these lakes but the majority of work was concretization and hardly anything was done to clean or prevent sewage flow into the lakes.
In 2020, the BMC was fined by National Green Tribunal (NGT) for not taking steps to prevent pollution in water bodies. The NGT had also directed the civic body to prepare a plan to ensure the treatment of sewage before it is discharged in these water bodies.
Civic officials said that during the British era there were about 129 water bodies in the city. However, currently, only 50 lakes are in good shape.
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