Devotees flouting ban pollute Lokhandwala Lake during visarjan

Andheri's picturesque Lokhandwala Lake, a magnet for migratory birds for over six years, is polluted with flower waste and broken Ganesh idols this year. While some residents say the idols dumped are those that remained unsold this year, many believe immersions were taking place after midnight, escaping notice.

Prashant Gaikwad, assistant municipal commissioner, K (West) ward, said visarjan has not been allowed in the lake for over six years. “This is a serious issue, as immersing idols at the lake is completely prohibited. The artificial pond has been developed for this very reason. There was no such activity in the last six years, but this year, devotees have not spared the lake. However, we will be writing to Mumbai Police to increase patrolling at the site, especially after midnight. I also request citizens to inform us if they spot such activities.” The 4.5-acre lake near the mangrove forests, which was created after construction of a bund, had become a haven for avians. Environmentalists and experts say around 112 species of birds have been spotted at the lake.

A senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said a civic team had visited the site on the seventh day of visarjan. The team retrieved around 30 idols from the banks of the lake. These could be unsold idols dumped by workshops, suspects the team, as “the idols did not have any colour and most of them were intact,” said the official.

In 2012, locals convinced civic officials and the state mangrove cell to initiate desilting of the lake. After the lake was desilted, the water quality improved and around 100 indigenous tree saplings were planted around the lake within a year. As a result, the lake began attracting migratory birds. Andheri locals also convinced the civic body to construct an artificial pond. In the first year itself, the 40x20ft artificial immersion pond was used for the visarjan of more than 2,000 idols, which would have otherwise been immersed in the Lokhandwala Lake.