PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) have decided to jointly set up a sewage treatment plant (STP) in the villages bordering the backwaters of Khadakwasla dam to curb the flow of sewage into the dam.
The area surrounding Khadakwasla Dam from Khadakwasla to Panshet has witnessed extensive development on both sides, and most of the housing complexes, hotels and farmhouses are located near the dam. However, sewage generated by these facilities is being discharged untreated into the Mutha River which in turn is polluting the Khadakwasla Dam.
Nearly 23 villages are located in the dam’s catchment area. As the Gram Panchayat cannot afford the cost of setting up a STP, the state government has directed the PMC and PMRDA to collaborate on the issue of curbing the flow of sewage into the dam which supplies water to Pune city.
Kunal Khemnar, additional commissioner, said, “The issue of dam water contamination was raised in a recently held canal committee meeting. As per the discussion and the directives of the state government, we will conduct meetings with the PMRDA officials to draft a comprehensive plan and implement the project. Both agencies will share the project cost equally.”