Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is working on a plan to design and deploy an automated weed-removal system to combat rampant growth of water hyacinth (Eichhornia) at Ambazari Lake. The proposed machinery will operate on a mechanism similar to airport baggage conveyor belts, extracting floating weed mass and dumping it directly into waiting disposal trucks. According to Yogesh Pachpor, Corporator of Prabhag 13 (A), civic engineers are refining the technical specifications and material requirements for the custom-built conveyor setup. Length of the belt would be approximately 18 to 25 feet.

 

The battery-operated mechanical system will run on dual engines with backup power sources to ensure uninterrupted operations. Once fully finalised and deployed, the machinery is expected to clear the weed mass significantly faster than manual extraction efforts, depositing waste straight into dumper trucks for immediate transport. “The growth rate at which water hyacinth spreads currently outpaces manual removal efforts,” stated Pachpor. “We are working closely with civic engineers to develop an efficient, heavy-duty mechanical solution. Discussions regarding materials and technical designs are underway.

 

Once approved, the system could clean up entire Ambazari Lake within a month,” he added. NMC started the water hyacinth and weed removal drive at Ambazari Lake in late February this year, followed by a massive scaled-up mechanised operation deploying hi-tech harvesters in mid-May on the orders of Mayor Neeta Thakre and Municipal Commissioner Dr Vipin Itankar. Even after deploying multiple machineries and working round-the-clock, till date, NMC is struggling to remove eichhornia entirely from the lake. However, the active involvement of local representatives in projects like the Ambazari rejuvenation highlights a welcome shift following the return of elected corporators after nearly four to five years of administrative rule. The comeback of elected corporators has re-established a vital link between the public and the NMC administration. The growth of water hyacinth in the Ambazari Lake has always been an severe issue, impacting the aquatic lives, along with the water quality. With time, the citizens are eagerly waiting for the lake revival. Especially, the swimmers who missed the chance to swim in the lake this summer.