Plastic, sewage, and neglect: Gorewada Lake faces a hidden threat

Nagpur: A ground investigation by TOI on Saturday uncovered a hidden pollution route into Gorewada Lake in Nagpur, with a steady stream of untreated sewage traced to the rear of Gorewada International Zoo. The flow, laden with plastic waste and urban debris, travels deep into the surrounding forest before entering the lake.Originating from the forested backside of the zoo, the stream cuts across Katol Road through a culvert and drains into the lake from its western edge. The discharge was continuous, grey, and foul-smelling, raising serious concerns about unmonitored sewage entering one of the city's key water sources.The findings contradict earlier claims by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation that sewage from the Dabha area was polluting Gorewada Lake. A parallel visit by TOI to sewage treatment facilities operated by the Nagpur Improvement Trust in Dabha showed otherwise. The 5 MLD plant, run by Vishwaraj Enviro Private Limited, is currently treating about 1.5 MLD of sewage, which is diverted into a nullah toward Friends Colony. At Hazaripahad, an additional 4 MLD facility further treats wastewater before releasing it into a channel that eventually meets the Pili River near Vincent Pallotti School. "There is no direct flow of Dabha sewage into Gorewada," said local corporator Shailesh Pandey, who accompanied the inspection, effectively challenging the official narrative and shifting focus to an unidentified source within or around the forest zone.What makes the discovery more alarming is not just the presence of sewage, but what it carries.The stream winds through the forest, leaving behind a trail of plastic waste, polythene bags, torn clothes, and household debris. Garbage is scattered across the forest floor, lodged between rocks, tangled in roots, and buried under vegetation, clear evidence that it is being transported by the flowing sewage rather than dumped manually inside the protected area.The impact is both visible and severe. Natural drainage channels are being choked, while soil quality is deteriorating, turning parts of the forest floor into zones of accumulated waste. In several stretches, stagnant greenish water with algal growth indicates prolonged contamination and nutrient build-up — classic signs of sewage-induced ecological stress.The stream's origin — from behind the zoo and flowing into the lake without any interception — raises critical questions. Where is this sewage coming from? Why is it bypassing existing treatment systems? And how has such a significant discharge remained undetected by authorities?The development also exposes gaps in monitoring and coordination between civic agencies. While functional sewage treatment plants exist in Dabha, the actual pollution appears to be entering through an entirely different and untracked route.Gorewada Lake, which serves as a crucial backup water source for Nagpur, has long been vulnerable to contamination. However, the emergence of a concealed inflow channel within the forest, coupled with visible garbage accumulation, points to a more complex and deep-rooted problem than previously acknowledged.With conflicting claims and mounting on-ground evidence, the need for a comprehensive audit of all inflow points into Gorewada has become urgent. Until the real source is identified and plugged, untreated sewage, and the waste it carries, will continue to silently degrade both the lake and its surrounding forest ecosystem.SEWAGE TURNS FOREST INTO DUMPING CORRIDORTOI's inspection revealed that the sewage stream entering Gorewada is carrying significant amounts of plastic and household waste into the forest. Polythene bags, food wrappers, torn cloth and other debris were found scattered along the stream's path, lodged between rocks and vegetation. The pattern clearly indicates that the garbage is being transported through flowing sewage rather than dumped locally. As the stream moves towards the lake, it deposits layers of waste, effectively converting parts of the forest into a dumping corridor. The accumulation is clogging natural channels, degrading soil and posing a threat to wildlife, highlighting a serious failure in intercepting waste upstream.