Science & Technology Agenda for Blue-Green Spaces Inspired by Citizen Science: Case for Rejuvenation of Powai Lake

Balakrishnan Lekshmi, Dipanjan Saha, Rahul S. Sutar, Richa Singh, Shardul D. Prabhu, Arundhati M. Kamat, Shruti Sharma, Raghuvansh Saxena, Steven Loiselle and Shyam R. Asolekar
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Balakrishnan Lekshmi: Environmental Science and Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
Dipanjan Saha: Environmental Science and Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
Rahul S. Sutar: Environmental Science and Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
Richa Singh: Environmental Science and Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
Shardul D. Prabhu: Environmental Science and Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
Arundhati M. Kamat: Environmental Science and Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
Shruti Sharma: Environmental Science and Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
Raghuvansh Saxena: Earthwatch Institute India Trust, Gurgaon 122002, India
Steven Loiselle: Earthwatch Europe, Mayfield House, 256 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7DE, UK
Shyam R. Asolekar: Environmental Science and Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 18, 1-23

Abstract: Urban lakes play a major role in the socio-cultural and ecological sustainability of many cities, but are often under major development and pollution pressures. Urban decision makers are faced with a challenging task of identifying the causes of their decline and building plans for their conservation or rejuvenation. Powai Lake is a perfect example of an urban water body with historic, cultural, and ecological importance to the population of Metropolitan Mumbai, with local and regional authorities, including the Urban Development Department, Government of Maharashtra, working to identify methods for rejuvenating the Lake. In this context, characterization of pollution dynamics, hotspots, and extent is fundamental to the development of management plans and appropriate technologies for the remediation and rejuvenation of Powai Lake—the long-term goal of the present study. A two-year monitoring program at eight sampling locations on the Lake’s periphery, with the engagement of citizen scientists along with environmental researchers, revealed clear seasonal and spatial dynamics that allowed for the identification of pollution drivers and the development of a three-phase rejuvenation plan. The plan represents a novel and holistic approach that recognizes Powai Lake as a complex system with multiple drivers, and aims at ecological balance and sustainable delivery of ecosystem services.

Keywords: Powai Lake; lake rejuvenation; citizen science; nature-based solution; natural treatment system; constructed wetland; water quality index; blue-green balance; capacity building (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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