In a bid to combat constant river pollution in the twin city, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) will carry out technical inspection of the Pawana, Indrayani and Mula rivers in its jurisdiction, officials said.
The inspection, to be started in a couple of days, will be conducted by officials from the PCMC along with experts from the College of Engineering Pune (COEP) with the aim to come up with a permanent solution to the problem. The standing committee of the PCMC on Tuesday approved funds to the tune of ₹10 lakh for the purpose. However, PCMC officials have asked the team to give priority to the Indrayani River.
The move comes on the back of several news reports about pollution in the Indrayani and Pawana rivers in the past. In December 2023, chief minister Eknath Shinde too had ordered inspection and action against pollution of the sacred Indrayani River.
Despite the civic body and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) regularly reporting toxic foam in the Indrayani and Pawana Rivers, no permanent measures have been taken yet.
A senior official from the PCMC on condition of anonymity said, “A team comprising officials and technical staff from the PCMC and COEP will begin the six-month inspection from Thursday. They will visit sites on the banks of the rivers, draw samples from the three rivers, and send them to the laboratory. The team will also visit all important sites along these rivers that have possible sources of river pollution. The relevant scientific and technical data will be collected to analyse the current pollution level and its sources.”
{{/usCountry}}A senior official from the PCMC on condition of anonymity said, “A team comprising officials and technical staff from the PCMC and COEP will begin the six-month inspection from Thursday. They will visit sites on the banks of the rivers, draw samples from the three rivers, and send them to the laboratory. The team will also visit all important sites along these rivers that have possible sources of river pollution. The relevant scientific and technical data will be collected to analyse the current pollution level and its sources.”
{{/usCountry}}Sanjay Kulkarni, head of the environment department at PCMC, said that the technical inspection will continue till June and there will not only be an inspection but also a study to check the pollution level in all three rivers. “The reason behind the pollution based on the pollutants found in the river will be known after inspection. Every time, the PCMC cannot be blamed for the pollution of the rivers. The report will clear the air about the pollution and its source and the jurisdiction in which pollution is taking place,” Kulkarni said.
Kulkarni further said that all three rivers – Indrayani, Pawana and Mula – flow through areas which are also under the jurisdiction of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) and other local bodies. “The report will be shared with these local bodies to take preventive measures in their areas. The PCMC is taking adequate measures to prevent the pollution of rivers in its area. Industrial units and development activities in the jurisdiction of other local bodies are responsible for the pollution of these rivers,” he said.