KMDA proposes mechanical dredging to enhance Lake’s health
Times of India | 3 November 2024
12 Kolkata: The 72-acre wide Rabindra Sarobar water body is all set to undergo elaborate tests for the first time in several years to determine its exact depth and condition at different levels.
Officials from the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), the custodian of Rabindra Sarobar, feel that the depth of the Lake water body needs to be increased to rejuvenate it and enhance the oxygen content. They believe mechanical dredging is the only way to achieve this.
The authority will conduct a study of the Lake to map out the Lake bed, assess the overall quality of the water body, and determine its toxicity level. They will gather data on the depth of the Lake at various sections. This report will then be presented to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), along with expert opinions, to make a case for allowing mechanical dredging at the Lake.
"The Lake's oxygen level is being monitored in regular intervals but such elaborate tests to determine the Lake's exact depth at different levels, the quality of water and its exact condition has not been conducted at least for the last 20 to 30 years. The study is to start off," said an official.
Currently, the use of any machinery that causes pollution is prohibited in the Lake's water. Even speedboats, which were deployed to save rowers in an emergency, were disallowed, with the NGT insisting on the use of electric boats to prevent pollution.
KMDA officials said, for several years only manual dredging has been conducted on the sides of the Lake. There has been no dredging in the middle portion of the water body, leading to the accumulation of silt deposits.
"There have been frequent incidents of fish deaths recently, and complaints that the Lake water body has become toxic. At present, we do not have comprehensive data on the various parameters of the Sarobar water body, such as its exact depth at the centre, the level of toxicity, and its overall quality. Therefore, it has been planned to conduct different tests to evaluate the Lake's profile. Water samples will be collected, and their toxicity levels will be assessed. Based on the test reports, the authorities will make a plea before the NGT to see if mechanical dredging could be allowed," said a KMDA official.
In an effort to detoxify the Lake, the authorities recently purified the entire 72-acre water body by spraying quicklime.
In recent times, KMDA has also evaluated other means to rejuvenate the Lake, including setting up rolling drums and fountains to churn the Lake's water to increase its oxygen content. However, these proposals have met with objections from rowing clubs, who argue that it will hinder the course. Rabindra Sarobar is the only rowing course in the state.