Lakaki lake in Model Colony, which was once known for its ecological beauty, is in urgent need of some restoration. However, there is a difference of opinion among the citizens of Model Colony over the matter. While some demands removal of the silt from the lake as it is causing mosquito menace, others feel that de-silting will hamper the biodiversity of the lake. Due to this difference of opinion, half of the lake has water while half of it is covered with silt and grass.
During summer most of the water was covered with silt. As the water level went down, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) decided to use the opportunity to remove the silt from the lake. However, when PMC started de-silting the lake, some residents raised objections stating that PMC did not carry out any study of the ecology of the lake. Due to this, the garden department of the PMC left the work half way. With the arrival of monsoon, the situation has worsened in the lake. Now, some residents have approached the PMC as it is causing mosquito menace in the area.
However, there are other residents who oppose this. Since the water is not used for drinking purpose there is no need to de-silt the lake. In fact, the civic body should not have removed the silt at all as they have not undertaken the ecological study of the lake before starting the work. This will affect the ecological growth of the lake.
According to garden department De-silting work cannot be carried out in the lake now as there is water in the lake. Presently, they will address the mosquito problem by releasing guppy fish in the water to control mosquito breeding.
Source- DNA, sept’13
