Pune Municipal Corporation To Introduce ‘Floating Wetlands’ To Clean Polluted Lakes
Pune Municipal Corporation To Introduce 'Floating Wetlands' To Clean Polluted Lakes
In a bid to clean polluted lakes in the city, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is exploring the concept of ‘floating wetlands’ or ‘florafts’, similar to the successful initiative implemented by the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) in 2015.
A Bengaluru-based company, JMS Biotech Pvt Ltd, recently presented the idea of floating wetlands to the PMC environment department. The concept involves creating artificial platforms for aquatic plants to grow in water, which absorb pollutants and increase dissolved oxygen content.
The PMC plans to implement this concept in the city’s three major lakes – Katraj, Pashan, and Jambhulwadi – which are currently facing challenges such as dumping of garbage and untreated sewage, encroachment, and excessive aquatic flora.
The floating wetlands will be created using wetland plants such as Canna, Scripus, Cyperus, Typha, and Phragmites in 10 x 10 feet rafts suspended in lakes. The roots of these plants will absorb pollutants from the water, increasing dissolved oxygen content and helping to trap sediments.
The PMC is also installing sewage treatment plants (STPs) under the union government’s Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) to prevent sewage from flowing directly into the lakes.
Deputy Commissioner, Environment Department, PMC, Sanjay Shinde, said, “The floating wetlands concept has been successful in other cities and we are working to implement it in Pune. We will carry out a pilot project in one of the lakes after approval from the PMC commissioner.”
This innovative approach aims to restore the health of Pune’s lakes and promote aquatic life,” he added.
