Powai Lake

Powai Lake Latest News

The BMC recently proposed appointing infrastructure consultancy firm AECOM Asia Company Limited to prepare a comprehensive redevelopment plan for a stretch of Powai Lake along Adi Shankaracharya Marg at a consultancy cost of Rs 1.85 crore.

About Powai Lake

• It is an artificial lake situated in the northern suburb of Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• The lake was built by the British in 1890, after constructing two dams between two hillocks across Mithi River, to augment the water supply to Bombay.
• The hillocks seen on the south end of the lake are the lowest slopes of the Western Ghats.
• The catchment area of the lake is 6.6 sq.km., with the depth varying from 3 to 12 metres.
• Around Powai Lake are two famed institutions-Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) and the National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE).
• The Padmavati Devi Temple, situated on the bank of the lake inside IIT Bombay campus dates back to the 10th century AD.
• The lake is surrounded by the Powai Bird Sanctuary.
• It is an important resting, feeding, and breeding site of several bird species, resident and migratory. 
• Among some of the lake’s rare and distinguished residents and visitors are the Watercock, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Slaty-legged Crake, Ruddy-breasted Crake, Woolly-necked Stork, Caspian Tern, and Peregrine Falcon.
• It is also home to a small population of the marsh crocodile.
• It has been extensively used for fishing over the years. Currently, it is being used for the conservation of the Indian mahaseer. 
• In recent times, 40% of the lake has disappeared. The lake has deteriorated due to accelerated growth of residential, commercial, and industrial areas around the lake.

News: TOI

‹ ›