Water hyacinth, which appears mainly at the onset of winter, has completely covered the lake in Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park in Katraj for over two weeks. Despite Pune Municipal Corporation’s repeated cleaning activity, the hyacinth has multiplied its growth and the PMC is trying to find a permanent solution to solve the problem.
Local people who stays near the Katraj lake, said that the lake now looks like a golf course or a cricket stadium. It has been in this condition for the last two weeks and no action has been taken by the authorities. This dramatically impacts water flow, blocks sunlight from reaching native aquatic plants and starves the water of oxygen, often killing the fish. The hyacinth also creates a prime habitat for mosquitoes, the classic vectors of disease.
According to all people, the hyacinth multiplies its spread rapidly and the authorities have failed to curb its growth and spread at the onset. The PMC will now have to physically remove the entire hyacinth. However difficult and time consuming the process is, they must take measures to clean the lake immediately. The Garden Department and Health Department of PMC have drawn up plans to remove the hyacinth but believe that a permanent measure needs to be sought. The root cause of hyacinth is the sewage water that runs into the lake. If the drainage is diverted, this problem could be solved. Chief Garden Superintendent, have conducted a joint meeting with the concerned authorities who were trying to evaluate the situation.
According to him, regular cleaning is done but hyacinth spreads with wind, which leads to its multiplication. He added that they are going to physically clean the lake but a permanent solution is needed to entirely curb the growth of hyacinth.
Source: Sakaaltimes, Nov’14
