Nagpur: After months of sustained efforts and repeated setbacks, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has achieved a major milestone in restoring Ambazari Lake by bringing the spread of invasive water hyacinth (Eichhornia) under control. To mark the success of the intensive clean-up campaign, the civic body organised a Jal Pujan ceremony at the lake on Sunday, with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Mayor Neeta Thakre leading the celebrations.
The event symbolised the culmination of an extensive month-long deweeding drive, during which civic authorities removed vast stretches of water hyacinth that had covered the lake’s surface for months. Following the clean-up, the dignitaries took a ceremonial boat ride aboard a Nagpur Fire Department vessel to inspect the restored water body.
According to the NMC, Ambazari Lake is now on the verge of becoming completely free of water hyacinth, an achievement that officials described as the result of coordinated planning, continuous monitoring and the deployment of specialised machinery.
The restoration, however, was far from easy. Civic officials said earlier attempts to clear the lake repeatedly failed as fresh inflows of contaminated water triggered rapid regrowth of the invasive aquatic weed. Every time the lake surface was cleaned, new patches of hyacinth emerged, undoing weeks of work and posing a significant challenge to restoration efforts.
Determined to find a permanent solution, the NMC, in coordination with public representatives and various government departments, devised a comprehensive strategy to curb the source of contamination while simultaneously intensifying the deweeding operations. Heavy machinery, including poclain excavators, JCB machines and specialised equipment fitted with high-capacity suction systems, was deployed to remove the dense vegetation from the lake. Officials also constructed a gabion barrier to prevent the spread and recurrence of the weed.
These sustained efforts have significantly improved the lake’s appearance, with large stretches of open water now visible after years of being concealed beneath thick mats of vegetation.
Addressing the gathering, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari praised the NMC for restoring one of Nagpur’s most prominent water bodies and said the initiative had enhanced the city’s environmental quality and overall happiness index. Stressing that the restoration must be sustained, he directed officials to take stringent legal action against industries responsible for discharging untreated effluents from the MIDC and Wadi industrial areas into the lake.
Gadkari also instructed authorities to obtain Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) reports from the CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) to scientifically assess the lake’s water quality. He further suggested developing water sports and recreational facilities to encourage greater public use of the rejuvenated lake.
Mayor Neeta Thakre described Ambazari Lake as the pride of Nagpur and attributed the success of the restoration to the coordinated efforts of multiple civic departments under the leadership of Municipal Commissioner Dr Vipin Itankar. She said the project demonstrated that effective planning and teamwork could deliver significant environmental results without imposing a heavy financial burden on the civic body.
Standing Committee Chairperson Shivani Wakhare said the combination of engineering interventions and round-the-clock mechanical operations played a crucial role in eliminating the invasive weed and restoring the lake’s ecological balance.
The programme was attended by MP Maya Ivnate, legislators, corporators and senior civic officials. During the ceremony, Union Minister Gadkari felicitated engineers, machinery operators, forest officials, Fire Department personnel and other members of the civic workforce whose efforts were instrumental in the successful restoration of Ambazari Lake.
