Pending nod,Bhima river plan yet to float

Even as Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has told the district administration to ready a river purification plan...

Even as Union Minister for Environment and Forests (MoEF) Jairam Ramesh has told the district administration to ready a river purification plan,a river improvement plan both short term and long term measures that was readied last month is still waiting for approval from the district administration. The report,Bhima River Conservation Action Plan for Pune District,aimed to draft a policy for river conservation,is pending with the officials for close to a fortnight now.

A senior officer from the district administration said considering that nearly 50 per cent of sewage water directly going into the rivers,the plan was readied under the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) for both short term and long term plans for river improvement. We are awaiting final approval before forwarding it to the state government.

Last week,the minister had said that Pune could get funds from the centre if the proposal for river development and sewage treatment is sent to him. The minister said the degradation of Mutha was at its peak and now it has become a running gutter.

According to the official,river pollution was expected to rise to 100 per cent in three years. The comprehensive plan for the conservation of rivers covers all sources of water pollution and the points from where domestic and industrial effluents are discharged into the rivers from Lonavla to the Ujani dam area.

The main rivers covered are Bhima,Ghodganga,Indrayani,Pavana,Mula,Mutha and Nira,and their tributeries. The Pune district collector had directed all the major stakeholders,including the MPCB,Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations,municipal councils,cantonment boards,industries and gram panchayats to provide details on sources of raw water,sewage discharge points and how civic bodies can prevent the release of sewage into the rivers. With severe river contamination,the polluters had to upgrade their sewage treatment systems,recycle the sewage or effluent and meet the stipulated standards, said an MPCB official. The department has gathered information like like population,raw water sources,distance from the nearest river and underground drainage facilities from villages situated along Bhima and its tributaries.

Inputs on approximate population,sources of raw water,water purification plants,underground drainage facilities,sewage generation,treatment plants,existing discharge point and future plan to safeguard the water bodies are part of the report.

With 65 villages along the banks of Bhima,the collector had instructed the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) to conduct a survey and explore ways on how pure water can be supplied to the citizens on a priority basis. The MPCB has also identified industries that are contributing to river pollution. Industries are supposed to have effluent treatment plants and recycle it on their premises for gardening and allied activities. However,these rules have been violated,said the official.

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environment