MUMBAI, May 25 -- Lakes in the Vasai-Virar region are undergoing a gradual revival. Years of neglect have sounded the death knell of these water bodies, but a pilot project using Japanese technology is showing how nature-based solutions can revive them. Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) commissioner Prithviraj PB recently announced a pilot programme that will focus on restoring four lakes in the region, after an initial project began to show results. Up next are Nirmal Talao (Virar west), Sambhale Lake (Virar west), Dhanivbaug Lake (Virar east) and Chandansar Lake (Virar east). Vasai-Virar has 184 lakes. Most of them are polluted, with industrial effluents and sewage flowing into them. Many are filled with trash. To rescue these water bodies, the VVCMC built concrete embankments around them over the years -- as a result, underground springs dried up and water circulation ceased, literally raising a stink. In 2022, VVCMC commissioned a survey of the region's lakes. The Society for Promotion of Area Resource Centre (SPARC), a non-profit which conducted the survey, found that 122 of Vasai-Virar's lakes were polluted. Satpala Lake in Virar west was selected for a pilot project. Funding was secured under the United Nations Development Programme and the project was launched in March this year. Under the project, a natural embankment made of stone and soil is created within the water body, which acts as a barrier and prevents the dumping of waste into the water. This method also maintains the lake's groundwater level and reactivates its natural springs, explains Aniruddha Paul, founder member of SPARC. "Around 80% of the project is complete. Only the perimeter is yet to be built," he says. Satpala Lake, which covers 5.5 acres, is used by locals to fish and is an important source of livelihood for them. However, due to the discharge of sewage, the lake was dying before the pilot project was launched. The Satpala Gram Panchayat (village council) and the villagers initiated efforts to undertake conservation measures to save the lake. Local politicians and leaders became part of the process and the civic administration chose SPARC to lead the project. Villagers established a Satpala Lake Natural Restoration Committee' which monitors the project. Prafulla Thakur, a local MNS leader and a member of the committee, said the project is pegged at Rs.2.46 crore. A weir has been built along the banks of Satpala Lake using natural materials-stones, soil and silt. Previously, sewage was discharged directly into the lake. Now, the sewage flows through the weir and is naturally purified before being released into the water body. This is also enhancing groundwater levels. The civic administration hopes the Satpala initiative will become a model to restore other lakes in Vasai-Virar. Prithviraj PB, Commissioner of VVCMC said, "Lakes are an important part of the region and we have decided to purify them naturally. We selected a few lakes after the Satpala Lake project began showing promise," he said, adding that the four lakes shortlisted were the four worst polluted in the region. Most of all, residents of Satpala are relieved. Umesh Patil (50), a resident of the village, says, "We stopped eating fish from the lake since five years ago as the water was polluted. We have begun to fish here again." Neha Patil (19), another resident, adds, "Birds of different species are returning to the lake. Even cafes have begun coming up here."...