Powai Lake sewage inflows to stop from October 1, BMC says

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) says sewage inflows into Powai Lake will stop from October 1 after it intercepted 20 outfalls draining into the lake.

The civic body has laid 3,056 metres of sewer lines to divert the flows to sewage treatment plants at Bhandup and Filterpada. The BMC estimates that about 18 million litres of sewage had been entering the lake each day, affecting water quality and contributing to water-hyacinth growth.

The BMC is also building an automated sewage treatment plant at the defunct pumping station in Powai. Targeted for completion by May 2027, which the civic body says is six months before the tender deadline, the plant is designed to treat 8 million litres a day and return treated water to the lake. Another 8 million litres will be diverted to Bhandup.

Of an estimated 24,000 metric tonnes of water hyacinth in the lake, the BMC says 20,340 metric tonnes had been removed by September 29. The civic body plans to study biological treatment options before deciding on a further water-quality intervention.