Toxic water: KMDA starts quicklime treatment at Lake
Times of India | 22 May 2024
Kolkata: The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority started spraying quicklime in the Lake from Tuesday to reduce toxic elements and rejuvenate the water body.
The move came on recommendation of experts, who carried out an inspection on Monday and found that the Lake’s water had become toxic from a poisonous gas released from the accumulated sediment on the Rabindra Sarobar bed.It harmed the aquatic biodiversity.
“On Tuesday, we started manual spraying of quicklime near the Lake’s banks, following the dosage recommended by experts. From Wednesday, boats will be used to spray deeper into the waters,” said an official.
The quicklime treatment will be conducted for a week to cover the entire 73 acres of the water body. After that, potassium permanganate will be used to further detoxify the water. This will kill the harmful bacteria which have been affecting the aqua life. “The frequent fish deaths are expected to be arrested to a large extent once this exercise is completed,” said an official.
Officials said that experts had recommended to increase the water’s vegetation, including certain plant species that will help increase the water body’s dissolved oxygen level and improve its quality.
“Spraying quicklime will help neutralize the acidic water. The authorities need to continously monitor this process and follow the expert recommendations diligently,” said Somendra Mohan Ghosh, a Lake regular.
The central portion of the water body has not been desilted for over 50 years. Officials said they would later explore the possibility of carrying out such an exercise only after confirming whether it’s possible or not.