Powai Lake:
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (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.
- Powai Lake is an artificial lake situated in the northern suburb of Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- It was constructed by the British in 1890 by building two dams across the Mithi River to augment Bombay’s water supply.
- The lake has a catchment area of 6.6 sq. km and a depth ranging from 3 to 12 metres.
- The southern hillocks around the lake form the lowest slopes of the Western Ghats.
- Powai Lake flanked by two premier institutions which are 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 and is an important resting, feeding, and breeding site of several bird species, resident and migratory.
- The lake serves as an important habitat for resident and migratory birds, including the Watercock, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Woolly-necked Stork, Caspian Tern, and Peregrine Falcon. It also supports a small population of Marsh Crocodiles.
- It also supports fishing activities and is currently being used for the conservation of the Indian mahaseer.
- In recent times, 40% of the lake has disappeared due to the accelerated growth of residential, commercial, and industrial areas around the lake.
