NASHIK, Nov 7: The supply of contaminated water from the Darna river to Sinnar town, about 25 kms from here, has irked local municipal councillors, who have decided to launch an agitation against the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Monday for polluting the river water. At an emergency meeting of the Sinnar Municipal Council held yesterday, it was unanimously decided to launch an indefinite hunger strike in front of the NMC headquarters in Nashik.The Sinnar council accused the NMC of releasing untreated sewage into the Darna river and contaminating the water supply to Sinnar, posing a threat to the health of over 40,000 residents. Nashik Mayor Vasant Gite has, however, claimed that the issue has been exaggerated by the Sinnar council and that the water is still potable. He pointed out that water filtration and sewage treatment plants were being planned and that discussions with the minister of state for rural development and MLA from Sinnar, Tukaram Dighole, had already been held.Several alternatives such as lifting water from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation or the NMC's Chehadi dam, were being offered to solve the problem permanently. Gite added that samples of water supplied to Sinnar were being treated every week and they were found to be potable.The NMC has constructed a dam at Chehadi on the Darna river from which it draws water for the residents of Nashik Road railway station area. Since NMC has no underground sewage system or sewage treatment plant, it releases over 100 million litres of sewage and drainage into the Godavari and Darna rivers daily. The NMC has now undertaken a project, under the Godavari Action Plan funded by the Centre, to construct an underground drainage and sewage system and to clean the Godavari river. The project is yet to take shape.
