| |
Upvan Lake is located in Thane, Maharashtra. It is one of the biggest lakes in the area, surrounded by Yeoor Hills. The lake was amongst the thirteen dying lakes that had been restored by the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) with the financial assistance from the union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF) more than two years ago. The TMC had spent more than Rs 2.3 crore on the restoration of the thirteen lakes at that time. The corporation had resorted to the use of bioremediation technique to clear the lake of silt and marine plants that had lowered the level of oxygen in the lake waters.
The presence of silt and marine plants resulted in the loss of marine life. The restored lakes are to be kept free of pollution to keep them alive. The Upvan lake is getting polluted by the sewage entering from the surrounding settlements. After receiving citizens’ complaint, the Pollution Control Department ran an enquiry. They found the source of pollution but failed to take any constructive step. The department in charge claimed that the responsibility to deal with the situation was that of the civic public works department. The civic engineers had begun to work on this lake after getting permission from TMC. They had planned how to divert the sewage water. According to news source the department has planned to work only after December due to model code of conduct guidelines. |
