PMRDA to build STPs in 230 villages in three phases

The project will be completed in three phases, with tenders for the first phase to be issued in October.

Pune: To meet the sewage management needs of a growing population over the next 25 years, the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) will set up modern sewage treatment plants in 230 villages. The project will be completed in three phases, with tenders for the first phase to be issued in October.

An Indian farmer works on a diesel pump placed to draw sewage treated water from the Fatehwadi canal at Lekhambha village, some 40 kms. from Ahmedabad on March 17, 2018. Indian farmers are using sewage treated water to save their winter crops after Gujarat's government has stopped water supply for irrigation purposes as the remaining water stock is reserved solely for drinking purposes. / AFP PHOTO / SAM PANTHAKY (AFP)

The first phase will cover 14 key villages — Lavale, Pirangut, Maan, Bhugaon, Shirur, Kesanand, Shikrapur, Sanaswadi, Lonikand, Uruli Kanchan, Loni Kalbhor, Charholi Khurd, Theur, and Medankarwadi — with land already acquired in Lavale, Pirangut, Maan, Bhugaon, and Shirur.

Open sewers in these areas will be closed and linked to the main sewer, which will carry waste to the STPs. Sewer lines will be laid considering housing societies and household connections. Plants will be set up individually or in clusters, mostly along streams for direct treatment and discharge, said officials.

Yogesh Mhase, PMRDA commissioner, said, “The plan will improve sanitation, conserve water, and support sustainable development, while boosting industrial and urban growth. This is the first time a detailed project report (DPR) has been prepared for sewage management in the PMRDA region, excluding PMC and PCMC areas. “

“The plan considers the projected population for 2051 and divides work into three phases — first for villages near corporation limits with populations above 50,000, second for those above 30,000, and third for villages above 20,000,” he said.

“In the 2025-26 budget, ₹300 crore was allocated, but the cost is now expected to rise to ₹600 crore to complete the three-phase project. A consultant has prepared plans for five clusters, and the remaining nine will be ready in the next two weeks. PMRDA has set an 18-month time frame to complete work for each phase,” he added.