Pune, 18 June 2025: A major hurdle in setting up a sewage treatment plant (STP) at the Botanical Garden in Aundh has finally been cleared. The Maharashtra Government’s Revenue and Forest Department has lifted the reservation of a biodiversity heritage site on the 30 guntha land required for the project under the Mula-Mutha Purification Project with Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA).
With this reservation removed, the Pune Municipal Corporation has now applied for a no objection certificate (NOC) from Mahatma Phule Agricultural University, Rahuri, to take possession of the land. Once approved, work is expected to start immediately.
The Mula-Mutha Purification Project aims to process 396 MLD of wastewater at a cost of ₹1,472 crore and was expected to be completed by March 2025. However, land acquisition hurdles had delayed work at several sites. So far, work has started at 10 out of the 11 planned STPs, with about 70% of the overall work completed. The remaining work is targeted for completion by 31 December 2025.
In Aundh, a 10 MLD capacity plant was proposed on land belonging to the agricultural college. However, the 32-hectare area was reserved as a biodiversity heritage site, where construction is prohibited due to its importance for environmental studies. Despite efforts over the past five years, permission could not be secured.
After continuous follow-up, the Municipal Corporation convinced authorities that the project would help protect the environment. The Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board in Nagpur approved the transfer of 30 guntha land for the STP and recommended it to the Municipal Corporation. Rahuri Agricultural University has also agreed to transfer the land with certain conditions.
City Engineer Prashant Waghmare confirmed that a government decision has been taken to exclude this portion from the biodiversity site. Superintendent Engineer of the Sewerage Department (Project) Jagdish Khanore said, “Now that the reservation has been lifted, we have requested the Agricultural University to grant permission. Work will commence soon and is expected to be completed within two years.”