Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will institutionalise river conservation efforts and launch weekly cleanliness drives for the Mula-Mutha river, civic chief Naval Kishore Ram said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the ‘Nadi Mahotsav’ event held on the banks of the Mutha river at Vitthalwadi on Sinhagad Road, Ram said the initiative will no longer remain an annual or symbolic exercise but will become a continuous, structured campaign targeting the most polluted stretches of the river. “This campaign will now be officially institutionalised. ‘Nadi Mahotsav’ will not remain an annual event but a continuous movement,” he said.
He stressed that public participation will be central to the effort, with weekly drives involving citizens, NGOs, students, NSS volunteers, corporators and civic officials. “The river cleanliness drive should be conducted every week. We will identify the dirtiest stretches and clean them with collective participation,” he said.
Ram noted that river pollution in Pune is a mix of untreated sewage and non-source pollution such as littering, improper waste disposal and construction debris. “If citizens decide not to litter, the need for cleaning itself reduces significantly,” he said, adding that rapid urbanisation without proper planning has worsened the situation.
PMC Mayor Manjusha Nagpure, also present at the event, called for stricter enforcement of the plastic ban in the city. “A complete ban on plastic within city limits must be the top priority if Pune is serious about environmental reform,” she said, adding that inconsistent enforcement has failed to curb its use effectively.
The civic body also said it is expanding sewage treatment infrastructure and strengthening solid and liquid waste management systems, as part of broader efforts aligned with the Centre’s ‘Mission LiFE’ initiative.