River action plan committee suggests more focus on sewage treatment

The action plan report criticised the river’s beautification plan which is being implemented by the government at various locations

Rivers in urban areas are severely affected due to untreated sewage water discharge. Hence the government must prioritise sewage water treatment instead of emphasising river beautification. Also, in rural areas, encroachment is another threat to river ecology that needs to be addressed on a priority basis, according to the river action plan report.

In the initiative, Mula and Mutha rivers are also included, where the committee is expected to visit the river basin area of both rivers and draft an action plan accordingly. (HT FILE)

To study the current conditions of the river and require actions for the river rejuvenation, the Maharashtra government in September 2022, appointed a 31-member committee that includes representatives from various government departments and subject experts from across Maharashtra.

The committee identified 111 rivers from various river basins including Krishna, Godavari, Narmada, Tapi, and the west-flowing river basin in Maharashtra, where the committee will visit the river basins from its origin.

This initiative was titled ‘ Chala Januya Nadila’ I.e. Know Your River. After reviewing the entire river basin, the committee is expected to draft an action plan consisting of the details of the problems faced by various rivers and what are the actions required for those rivers.

Recently, the committee has prepared an action plan for 35 rivers in the state, including urban rivers like Mithi, and Ulhas rivers in Mumbai, Indrayani, Pawana, and Ram rivers in Pune, and several other rivers in both rural and urban areas.

This action plan has been prepared under the guidance of Rajendra Singh, popularly known as the Waterman of India, and the Pune-based organisation Jal Biradari is leading this entire activity.

The expert members of the committee have recently presented this action plan to state cultural affairs and forest minister Sudhir Munguntiwar.

Narendra Chugh, expert member of the committee and also the leading member of the Jal Biradari organisation, said,” Through the initiative, we have found that many rivers especially in urban areas are suffering with issues like untreated sewage water, water pollution, encroachment etc. Time and again we have been raising our voices to demand the urgent attention of the government towards this issue. However, not much groundwork is happening.”

“With this action plan, we are reaching out to the government authorities and we have received a good response both from state and some district authorities. Work has already started on an action plan in Wardha district and a few other districts the suggestions are taken positively. In the coming days, we are hoping to get a more positive response from the government side who are the actual implementing agencies for this action plan,” he said.

The action plan report criticised the river’s beautification plan which is being implemented by the government at various locations. It suggested that river rejuvenation requires addressing issues like untreated sewage water discharge, maintaining the natural water flow in the river, preserving the natural ecosystem of the rivers, removing encroachment, and reducing the pollution level in the water. However, the current beatification plan does not solve this issue, yet a lot of money is being spent on such a project.

The action plan also highlighted that the forest department should play an active role in river conservation as the majority of the rivers originate from forest lands. It also demanded the participation of women’s self-help groups especially in rural areas for river conservation.

Two years extension for Mula- Mutha action plan

In the initiative, Mula and Mutha rivers are also included, where the committee is expected to visit the river basin area of both rivers and draft an action plan accordingly. “Although the primary visit has been conducted, considering the large area of the river basins, it requires more time to prepare an action plan for both these rivers. Hence, the state government has given a two-year extension to prepare an action plan for both Mula and Mutha rivers,” said Chugh.