The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has so far removed 5,895 metric tons of water hyacinth, a free floating perennial herb found at the surface of water bodies, from the Powai lake in Mumbai, the civic body said.

The removal of these plants will help in protecting the lake`s biodiversity along with enhancing its natural richness, the BMC said in a release on Wednesday.

The BMC said it has cleared 23 per cent of the total 123 acres of water hyacinth-infected area of the lake, built during the British era.

The civic body has undertaken the clearing process from March 8 “to preserve and rejuvenate the natural environment of the Powai Lake,” it said.

The lake is spread over 557.50 acres. Nearly 123.97 acres area was infected by the water hyacinth, the civic body said.

“The water hyacinth removal work on the remaining 94.72 acres area is also being carried out at a fast pace,” the release said.

Built in 1891, the Powai lake has a storage capacity of 5,455 MLD (megalitres per day) and its catchment area is spread over 600 hectares.

The lake water is not potable and hence used for other purposes, the release said.

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