Garbage, construction near Ramnadi lead to pollution

Families living near the river have complained that the reservoir has been ‘dead’ for more than a decade

The Ramnadi has shrunk due to littered waste, but the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is working to build a sewage treatment plant (STP) and drainage pipe to restore the waterway.

There have been consistent efforts from NGOs in the city to rejuvenate the river. (HT PHOTO)

Families living near the river have complained that the reservoir has been ‘dead’ for more than a decade due to slum-dwellers contamination indifference. Due to the river’s proximity to the NH4 Mumbai-Bangalore highway, the area is frequently subject to illegal dumping. Neither the PMC nor the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) takes responsibility for it.

According to Krunnal Gharre, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member for the Bavdhan-Kothrud ward, the drainage line for the Ramnadi river comes from the Aditya Nisarg and Bhunde Vasti sides.

“It is supposed to go across the river and then connect to the main drainage pipe. However, the force of the water caused the pipe to split in half. Waste does not reach the designated area, and water from the pipe enters Ramnadi,” he added.

“Even if the damaged sewage line is repaired, it will be unable to withstand the pressure during the rainy season and will rupture again. A well-planned design and structure is essential,” Gharre said.

Shreedhar Yeolekar, Executive Engineer, PMC said, “Development near the river bank is causing pollution. We are attempting to combat this by developing a project to construct a sewage treatment plant (STP) and drainage pipe there, for which ₹ 17 crores have yet to be sanctioned by the state government. It will be established under the auspices of the Fifteenth Finance Committee.”

However, there have been consistent efforts from NGOs in the city to rejuvenate the river.

Virendra Chitrav, co-ordinator for the Kirloskar Vasundhara Ramnadi Restoration Mission elaborated: “Our NGO acts as a catalyst between the administration and the people who are affected by the Ramnadi river pollution. Six months ago, we conducted two experiments: the ‘floating bed’ and the ‘reed bed’. Students from HV Desai College assisted with the floating bed, and students from Modern College, Ganeshkhind, Pune University assisted with the reed bed.”

Regardless of ongoing initiatives, some citizens are sceptical of progress.

“For many years, a handful of people living in the area have been trying to rejuvenate the river by doing campaigns every six months, doing clean-ups, and revising the natural springs that come out of the Bavdhan-Ramnadi river,” a resident in Bavdhan who wished to remain anonymous told HT.

“However, the work declared by the government is never seen on the ground. We also do not receive the expected support from the PMC or the gram panchayat.”