Pune: According to a survey done by team Sakal Times at Tanajiwadi Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), it was found out that through a tiny hidden tunnel, untreated water is flowing directly into Mula river. This is leading to further pollution of the river, which is already being polluted by industrial waste. Shockingly, no steps are being taken to stop this menace by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
Currently, Pune has ten STPs with an installed capacity of 567 MLD and PMC is spending Rs 350 crore for their yearly maintenance. Shrinivas Kandul, PMC Superintendent Engineer, said, “The capacity of Tanajiwadi STP is 17 mld, which is treated every day and as the STP is running to full capacity, the additional drainage water is released in the river directly.”
“The Central government has said that they will be appointing a consultant to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and then the tender will be floated for additional STPs,” Kandul said, adding that, so far, the appointment of a consultant is just on paper and actual work has not started at the ground level.
He added that it is expected that the Central government will be appointing a consultant by this month-end and still if any steps are not taken, we will be mentioning this issue prominently in the coming budgetary meeting,” Kandul said,
While discussing this issue, Senior Social Activist Sarang Yadwadkar explained, “Firstly, the STPs are not monitored properly by the corporation and all the sewage needs to be treated. Increase in FSI (Floor Space Index) without given consideration to the STPs is not going to develop the city into a Smart City. If there is 20 mld of sewage water generated every day, then the STP should have the capacity of treating 30 mld.”
Yadwadkar further said, “The per capita water consumption is huge, which means more scope for sewage generation, but the PMC is just designing the outlines of the Smart City without considering its disadvantages. Mutha river is a cocktail of industrial and domestic waste. Even after knowing all the disadvantages, the officials are reluctant to take any steps.”
From bad to worse
As per the Maharashtra State Budget 2017-18, an assistance of Rs 100 crore will be provided by the Central government for reducing the pollution level in Mula and Mutha rivers. This amount is part of the Rs 990 crore project – Pollution Abatement of River Mula-Mutha, for which the Centre had signed a loan agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) in the year 2015. The total cost of the project is Rs 990 crore, which will be shared in the ratio of 85:15 between the Central Government (CG) and the PMC respectively. And the PMC has proposed to build 11 new sewage treatment plants (STPs) with a treatment capacity of 396 MLD (Million Litres per Day). However, even after preparing the original budget in 2015, no steps have been taken till now to clean the rivers and the condition is going from bad to worse. Kandul explained, “1,400 million litres per day (mld) is provided from Khadakwasla dam. Out of this, 500 mld is used for consumption and from the remaining 900 mld, 500 mld is treated and 400 mld is not treated, which ultimately goes into Mula river.”