Mumbai's Powai Lake has received its biggest cleanup boost in years. The BMC has completed the interception and diversion of all 20 sewage outfalls that were polluting the lake.

The work, completed on October 1, involved laying 3,056 metres of new sewer lines. Eighteen outfalls now flow to the Bhandup sewage treatment plant, while two at Peru Gate go to the Filterpada STP.

The project ran from August 2025 to October 2026 — 13 months of work to cut off the sewage at its source.

The scale of the problem was enormous. A 2022 NGT committee found that about 10.9 million litres of untreated sewage entered the lake every day.

The BMC has also removed 20,340 metric tonnes of water hyacinth out of 24,000 metric tonnes choking the lake's surface.

An 8 MLD automated sewage treatment plant is planned with a May 2027 target, which would treat remaining flows.

Powai Lake is a beloved landmark and a water source for the city. Its decline had become a symbol of Mumbai's struggle with sewage.

Environmentalists say the real test is maintenance — outfalls have a habit of reopening when monitoring lapses.