Sewage treatment plant near Powai Lake to be operational by December

The construction of a sewage treatment plant near Powai Lake is almost complete and is expected to be commissioned in December, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) has told the Supreme Court. The submission was made in connection with MCGM’s appeal against a National Green Tribunal order penalising the corporation for pollution in water bodies.

The corporation said 90% of the work on the plant is complete and that it will have a capacity of about eight megalitres per day. The plant will be fitted with the requisite sequencing batch bioreactor technology to divert the flow of untreated sewage away from the lake.

The lake, which has a large population of fish and crocodiles, is the only major notified wetland in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, as per the amended wetland rules 2017.

A Maharashtra State Angling Association study in March found dead fish floating in the lake. The fish died due to fluctuating dissolved oxygen levels that lead to a proliferation of blue-green algae, which can be harmful to the fauna.

Pollution levels in the lake are believed to be eight times above the permissible standards. Satellite images have also shown a significant reduction in the water surface over the last three years apparently due to the growth of water hyacinths, which are known to have adverse effects on overall biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems.

Officials declined to comment saying the matter is sub-judice.