The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has resolved a long-pending land issue, clearing the way for construction of a 10 million litres per day (MLD) sewage treatment plant (STP) at the Botanical Garden in Aundh under the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded Mula-Mutha river pollution abatement project.
The land issue, pending since 2023, was resolved following sustained efforts by municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram and additional municipal commissioner Pavneet Kaur.
Kaur said on Thursday that the proposal for allotment of 0.3 hectares for the STP has been approved and a working no-objection certificate (NOC) has also been granted, paving the way for commencement of the project.
The Botanical Garden STP in Aundh was the only project among the 11 proposed STPs under the JICA-funded river pollution abatement initiative where work had not begun due to non-availability of land. The remaining 10 STPs, forming part of the total 396 MLD treatment capacity project, are currently at various stages of construction across the city.
The Mula-Mutha river pollution abatement project is one of the civic body’s key environmental infrastructure initiatives aimed at enhancing sewage treatment capacity and reducing the discharge of untreated sewage into the river system.