Civic body to beautify three major lakes in Kalyan

Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has undertaken to beautify and revamp three naturally-existing lakes in the city; the recent incident of the death of hundreds of turtles at the Gauripada Lake in Kalyan, however, has raised concerns over this revamping

The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has undertaken the beautification and revamping of three naturally existing lakes in the city.

Gauripada Lake, one of the three naturally existing lakes in Kalyan that the KDMC has undertaken to carry out revamping work and also beautify them. (RISHIKESH CHOUDHARY/HT FILE PHOTO)

The recent incident of the death of hundreds of turtles at the Gauripada Lake in Kalyan, however, has raised concerns over this revamping. Experts in the city claimed that the lake beautification should not just be about construction but also aim at conservation.

It must focus on keeping the water quality good, maintaining cleanliness across the lake, monitoring human activities and taking necessary action in the coming years, an environmentalist said.

The three lakes include Gauripada, Nilje and Umbarde.

“We have chosen the three major lakes in the city for revamp and beautification, the proposal for the same is being prepared. These lakes have naturally existed in the city for the last several years and they are some of the major parts of the city. The aim is to provide proper facilities around the lakes for residents and to conserve them, for which a budget of ₹6Cr is allotted,” said Sapna Koli, city engineer, KDMC.

There are more than 40 lakes in Kalyan-Dombivli. Out of the 40 lakes, only three lakes are preferred as recreational spots by the residents – the Kala Talao and Gauripada Lake in Kalyan (W) and the Titwala Ganesh Mandir lake in Titwala, Kalyan. For years, the civic body has carried out revamp work only at these lakes on many occasions.

In January, several turtles in Gauripada Lake were found dead. Following this, residents and activists from the city had blamed the pollution in lake water as the reasons for the sudden death of more than 100 Indian softshell turtles.

A month after the incident, a laboratory report suggested that different bacteria in the body parts of the turtles led to their death, and also claimed that the lake water was polluted. The lake was beautified by the civic body two years ago.

“This shows that the beautification doesn’t help in conserving the water body. What we need is a concrete plan to save the lakes and its aquatic life. Beautification is important when it comes to having a good hangout place in the city, but it should not be at the cost of existing aquatic biodiversity,” said Sughandha Krishnamurthy, a 50-year-old resident who lives near Gauripada Lake.

“In the name of beautification, we forget the actual need of keeping the water body alive. Development is good, however it cannot be allowed at the cost of the environment. The civic body had taken up several works at the Gauripada Lake by building a compound wall two years back. At the same time, if they had also maintained the water in the lake, the turtles would not have died,” said Ravindra Erande, a 25-year-old social activist from Kalyan.

Environmentalist and project coordinator for Paryavaran Dakshata Manch, Dombivli, Rupali Shewale, expressed that there is a lot of damage to the lake happening due to human activities during festivals and on a daily basis.

“The civic body can deploy marshals to keep a watch at these lakes. While beautifying the lakes, the civic body should make sure the cleaning of the water is carried out from the area from where the water flows naturally into the lake. There are blockages due to waste and silt because of which the water is polluted.

“The Milap Nagar Lake in Dombivli in which several turtles died earlier was closed for immersion. However, people still continue dumping waste into the lake. There is a need to control this.”

KNOW THE LAKES

GAURIPADA LAKE, located in Kalyan (W), sprawls over 22,915sqm area. The lake is known for fishing activity and many local fishermen rely on this lake for their daily earnings. They do fishing here and also sell the fish to locals. In the last 2-3 years the fishing activity has reduced due to the bad water quality. Earlier, the water was clear and one could see the fish. However, now-a-days, the fishes are not visible as the water is not clear any more.

UMBARDE LAKE, is across an area of 29,915sqm and will have its silt removed as part of the beautification and also water conservation. The civic body has plans to set up a bird-watching facility near this lake for which they have planted 9,000 saplings by the lake.

NILJE LAKE, which spreads across 12,000sqm, will also be a spot for bird watching in the future. This lake, also known as Shri Mauli Lake, is known for its scenic beauty with lots of trees and natural habitat. There is a 100-acre open land near this lake. People visit this lake for cycling, walking and jogging.

KNOW THE LAKES

GAURIPADA LAKE, located in Kalyan (W) sprawls over 22,915sqm area. The lake is known for fishing activity and many local fishermen rely on this lake for their daily earnings. They do fishing here and also sell the fish to locals. In the last 2-3 years the fishing activity has reduced due to the bad water quality. Earlier, the water was clear and one could see the fish. However, now-a-days, the fishes are not visible as the water is not clear any more.

UMBARDE LAKE, is across an area of 29,915sqm and will have its silt removed as part of the beautification and also water conservation. The civic body has plans to set up bird-watching facility near this lake for which they have planted 9,000 saplings by the lake.

NILJE LAKE, which spreads across 12,000sqm, will also be a spot for bird watching in the future. This lake, also known as Shri Mauli Lake, is known for its scenic beauty with lots of trees and natural habitat. There is a 100-acre open land near this lake. People visit this lake for cycling, walking and jogging.