Neglect eats away Futala’s pride; IIT called in to rescue corroded system
Even as the Supreme Court cleared the ₹200-crore Futala Lake project, the ₹50-crore musical fountain lies half-destroyed beneath layers of algae, sewage, and civic neglect. The world’s largest floating fountain—once the pride of Nagpur—was crippled in 2023 after its underwater cables were corroded by bacterial slime and raw sewage from nearby slums.
Engineers found that untreated sewage loaded with nitrogen and phosphorus triggered algal blooms, which fused to the polymer insulation, eating into its chemical layer. As summer heat lowered water levels, the exposed cables cracked under sunlight. Swarms of Mayflies nested on the weakened coating, further corroding the metal core. By May 2023, the wires had become brittle “metal braids,” forcing NMRDA to shut down operations after 42 shows.
IIT-Bombay was later roped in to design a triple-layer insulated cable system, combining polymer, steel mesh, and anti-algal protection. In October 2023, NMRDA ordered 10,000 meters worth ₹5 crore, but the Supreme Court stay froze the installation. The cables, stored in the open for over a year, will now undergo lab testing to check if they survived Nagpur’s harsh seasons.
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