He banged the table and said with all his confidence Powai Lake is a Natural Lake and it is a Salt water lake. That response left the rest of us, on the lunch table, a bit perplexed as to the source of his information but never the less that does not change the facts about the Powai Lake. The fresh water lake is a colonial legacy, built by the British.
It still stands serene, I especially enjoy the morning sunrise setting on the Powai lake in winter. The newly built foot over bridge could probably give an elevated perspective to the sunrise. The Powai Lake has gone through many stages of water quality degradation. The lake water which used to supply drinking water for Mumbai has been declared unfit to drink.
The lake in itself is a blessing and a key natural differentiator for the Powai area. The Powai Lake influences the microclimate of Powai Area, typically the influences exerted by water bodies in the location where they exist. A key component of the local drainage system, the monsoonal rain waters of Powai and the adjoining areas drain into the lake. The lake still remains a tourist attraction, thanks to the recently rejuvenation efforts by the government and the intervention of the interested local populace.
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| Eichornia - Lake Powai |
I recently took a picture of the lake and observed that there is a green invasion on the lake, not the Martians; it is the weed Eichornia or Water Hyacinth pervading the lake. Water hyacinth is a free-floating perennial plant, it is one of the fastest growing plants known.
The plant in itself is not bad in fact it can be used beneficially to treat waste water but, if their grown is not checked they can choke the life out of the water body, primarily through expedited evapo-transpiration and eutrophication. These plants cover the water’s surface in a mat-like sheet and restrict sunlight that underwater plants need for growth. Eventually this underwater vegetation dies and decays depleting dissolved oxygen in the water, which is needed for underwater life. Water hyacinth provides prime habitat for disease vectors such as mosquitoes.
Interestingly it reminds me of the kingly tales such as the one which gave the ancient name Bendakaluru to modern Bengaluru i.e., to invade the enemy by surrounding the periphery. That is exactly what the Eichornia is doing to the Powai Lake or for that matter any lake it invades. Once in the water body the Eichornial infestation can double in size in a few weeks.
Water hyacinth has been used successfully in wastewater treatment systems to improve the quality of water by reducing the levels of organic and inorganic nutrients. It is known to absorb and translocate cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, and nickel. Based on this unique property water hyacinth can be used for developing cost effective and environmentally friendly technologies for the remediation of soils and wastewaters polluted with toxic substances (Heavy Metal Phytoremediation).
The plant is quite an useful one, however their collective sheet over a water body is detrimental to the water body as well as the humans and animals that depend on it. The common methods of control include physical removal of the plant, using herbicides etc. Biological control (bio control) can be very effective however it brings in the issue of introducing alien species. Two agents, a weevil, Neochetina eichhorniae, and a moth, Niphograpta albiguttalis, are known to be effective elsewhere in the world. The tunnelling larvae of these insects achieved good control. There may be other bio control agents available.
The lake has to be preserved, it impacts the life in Powai in many ways directly and indirectly. Lets not kill the preserver, by turning a blind eye to the Eichornial Invasion. Save the Powai Lake prevent the pervasion of the lake.
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