‘TAKE ACTION ON HERBICIDE USE IN POWAI LAKE’

MUMBAI: The union environment ministry has instructed the state government, via its State Wetland Authority, to act on complaints against the use of glyphosate-containing herbicides in Powai Lake, which were first raised last year by citybased NGO Vanashakti. The NGO was informed about the same on January 12 by a senior scientist with the ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MOEFCC), after it highlighted a November 2021 permission letter by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), allowing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to proceed with spraying glyphosate in a “judicious” manner to control the growth of invasive weeds.

In a letter to the assistant municipal commissioner of S Ward, on November 2 last year, MPCB wrote, “Considering the submission made by the Mcgm...water and sediment analysis reports, literature review and similar type of study, your request is considered and you are allowed to use glyphosate for the destruction of water hyacinth in Powai Lake.”

This permission was subject to certain conditions, namely that BMC will stop the ingress of raw sewage into the lake, carry out regular bioaccumulation studies along with water and sediment analysis reports, and submit reports of the same to MPCB.

The BMC had, in August last year, floated a tender for removal of water hyacinths at Ganesh Ghat, Pawarwadi and other areas of Powai Lake to make space for immersion activities during Ganesh Chaturthi. The following month, BMC launched a pilot project as part of which drones were used to spray glyphosate on two per cent of the lake’s water between September 3 and 5.

Based on the success of the program, larger quantities of glyphosate are set to be used to eradicate water hyacinths from the lake area.