<
div id=”pcl-full-content”>Even as Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde Saturday said that his government was committed to making the Indrayani river clean and unpolluted, white toxic foam continues to hold its fort in the river, raising eyebrows over the purported efforts being made by local self-government bodies.
The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, on its part, has washed its hands off the river pollution issue while pointing fingers at other local self-government bodies.
<
div class=”ev-meter-content ie-premium-content-block”><img loading=”lazy” decoding=”async” src=”https://data.indianexpress.com/election2019/track_1x1.jpg” data-lazy-src=”https://data.indianexpress.com/election2019/track_1x1.jpg” alt=”” width=”1px” height=”1px” “/>
“The pollution of the Indrayani river is not caused by the discharge of waste from Pimpri-Chinchwad. The PCMC has set up four sewage treatment plants along the banks of the Indrayani river. As a result, we release only treated water into the river,” Joint City Engineer Sanjay Kulkarni told The Indian Express on Sunday.
Speaking at Kiwale during the Shiv Sena’s Sankalp Abhiyan, the chief minister said, “We have resolved to free the Indrayani river from pollution in Dehu and Alandi. We have prepared the Detailed Project Report and are now awaiting the Centre’s sanction. We are following up on the issue and are confident that we will get the permission for it.”
On the fifth consecutive day, the white toxic foam was palpably visible in the river at several places. The river flows for 18 km in Pimpri-Chinchwad – from Dehu Road to Charholi. Last year, too, toxic foam emerging in the river had drawn flak from citizens and activists who held the state government and the PCMC responsible for its plight.
“The toxic foam is the result of untreated effluents released by industries. Also, the use of detergents in the Alandi area causes the rise of the foam,” Kulkarni said.
The PCMC administration said domestic waste flows into the river from the Pimpri-Chinchwad side only at a couple of places. “But the domestic waste does not cause white foam. There are scores of industries on the other side of the Indrayani river that are not under our jurisdiction. The local civic bodies from Lonavala to Dehu do not have sewage treatment plants but hundreds of industries have come up in these places,” Kulkarni said.
Kulkarni said the sewage treatment plants set up by the PCMC along the Indrayani river are operational and are treating the waste before being discharged into the river. “Therefore, we would like to state that the PCMC is not responsible for the pollution of the river,” he said.
Sources in the PMRDA (Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority) said it plans to set up 18 sewage treatment plants along the Indrayani river. “The river improvement and rejuvenation plan is with the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) of the Union government. The project is estimated to cost Rs 500 crore. We are awaiting final approval,” he said.
About Post Author
