Powai Lake owes its name to Framaji Kavasji Powai Estate, belonging to a Parsi merchant. It is believed that the present location of Powai Lake was the original Powai Valley — a central village, with several clusters of huts each having its own well. Powai village was also served by a rivulet resulting from the rain waters of the lowest slopes of the Western Ghats, now seen as the hillock on the South end of the Lake, with streams from the Eastern & North eastern slopes of hills. The authorities during the British regime intended to augment the water supply to Bombay City by creating a lake from this rivulet and in 1891 this was achieved by constructing two stone dams across two hillocks each dam was and still is about 10metres high. The spread of the water body thus achieved was about 370 acres or 2.10 Sq Kilometres and the depth varied from about 10 ft (off periphery) to 40 ft at its deepest. The lake is about 17 miles from central Bombay. Average rainfall at Powai is about 2540 mm, and the lake overflows for about for 60 days each year. Studies in 1995 estimated 3000cubic metres of silt as having been deposited over the years. It is believed that the original wells still exist below the water level but could have been silted up.

However after all this effort by the authorities it was found that the waters of Powai were polluted and unfit for drinking .Various studies were conducted which repeatedly confirmed these findings till finally the project was abandoned.

Then Powai Lake was leased out to the Western lndia Fishing Association a quasi government organisation who used it for both fish culture and Angling but later the Bombay Presidency Angling Association was formed.It later changed to The Maharashtra State Angling Assn. In 1991, realising the rapidly deteriorating environment and fast disappearing beauty spots in Bombay, The Maharashtra State Angling Assn. decided to amend its Constitution and involve itself in Environment work to preserve Powai Lake from the innumerable destructive influences working against it.

Powai Lake is situated in the Northern Suburb of Mumbai. It is an artificial lake, towards the west of the Indian Institute of Technology, the premier institute of Science and Technology.Another famous institution, the National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) is also located close to the lake. Housing complexes and plush hotels are developed all around the lake periphery. Population around the lake has thus substantially increased over the years.   Powai Lake is a perfect retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

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