AMBAZARI LAKE HIGH on WEED

 

 

 

Ambazari Lake, one of the iconic water bodies of the city, is losing its charm and existence due to anthropogenic activities going on in the name of development in recent times. Thanks to the civic body’s callous attitude towards conservation of the water body, the lake is now struggling to keep alive its aquatic biodiversity, which has been invaded by Eichhornia weeds for the last almost two years. Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), with the help of CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), is trying to eradicate the weeds from the lake, but authorities are falling short in maintaining the lake’s charm. Prabhu Dayal Memorial University, Bahadurgarh, Haryana, conducted a study titled ‘Analysis of Ambazari Lake Water of Nagpur City, Maharashtra’ published in Oriental Journal of Chemistry in 2022. It claimed that Ambazari Lake water was contaminated and can not be used for drinking purpose.

 

 

The study advised to conduct important surveys by the competent authority for cleaning of the water body. “The desecration is by virtue of uncovering, industrialised discharge, and domestic discharge,” claimed the study. The researchers of the University collected four samples of lake water from different sites and tested the parameters of potential of hydrogen (pH), electric conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), phosphate (TP), suspended solid (SS), nitrate (TN), and coli forms (TC) in the water. The results showed that most of the attributes did not satisfy the permissible limit recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The study was conducted before the spread of the Eichhornia weeds in the lake, but the authorities probably did not take the reports seriously and a thorough study to check the lake condition post Eichhornia spreading is badly needed.

 

 

However, the civic body is spending huge money for cleaning the weeds from the lake on a daily basis and waiting for completion of 11 MLD sewage treatment plant (STP), which is under construction over a nullah in Wadi area by the Wadi Municipal Council (WMC). The STP, which may be fully ready in six months, may prove to be of help in stopping the spread of Eichhornia in the lake. However, the authorities should also check the intrusion of industrial discharge in the water body from the MIDC Hingna side as per the study. The matter of Eichhornia flooding in Ambazari lake was also raised in the last Winter Session of State Legislature by the then MLAs, but NMC was clueless on how to handle the situation.

 

“WMC is not the only culprit for this water pollution. The industrial waste may also be entering the lake and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) should conduct thorough inquiry in this regard,” Dr Shweta Banerjee, Superintending Engineer, Environment Department, NMC told ‘The Hitavada’. The exact source of the Eichhornia infestation in Ambazari Lake is unknown. Still, some experts believe it arrived via the importation of used fishing gear, migratory birds, intrusion of water from other stream and second-hand agricultural inputs. Due to a lack of natural neutraliser, an abundance of space, favorable temperature conditions, and abundant nutrients on the water’s surface, it spreads rapidly. Seed dispersal is also aided by waterborne seeds and migratory birds. In September 2023, Nagpur witnessed flooding in Nag river due to overflow from Ambazari Lake. Eichhornia weed blocked the culvert under the bridge near the overflow point, and this was cited as a major reason behind the flood. Overflow of Ambazari Lake caused flooding in Nag river due to which hundreds of residents got affected and crores of rupees sank in water.

 

After the flood, ‘The Hitavada’ spoke to the affected families and found that many of them are still managing to overcome the loss and no or very less help was provided by the administration. After the overflowing of Ambazari lake, the civic body came into action and did some work at the overflow point of the lake, cleaning of the Nag river, strengthening the retaining wall of Nag river and much more. Despite all this work, more efforts are needed by the administration to avoid such flooding in future. Nearby residents are still in fear when it rains heavily. Entering sewage and industrial waste in Ambazari Lake are major concerns. However, NMC is pointing finger towards MIDC for releasing industrial waste in the lake, but Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) gave clean chit to MIDC in this regard.

 

Nearby residents who visit the waterbody daily for fishing are blaming the flooding of Eichhornia weeds for decrease in number of fish in the lake. Similarly, the citizens who were regularly visiting the lake for swimming are now rarely visiting there because of the weeds. To avoid such incidents and to eradicate the menace of Eichhornia weeds in future, the administration should come up with a full-proof solution and also find out the reasons behind the degradation of the lake in recent time.