The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has squarely blamed the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) for the deteriorating condition of the Indrayani River, which has been engulfed in a layer of toxic foam persisting for the last five days. The pollution control authorities assert that the water quality significantly declines once the river crosses from Talawade to PCMC’s jurisdiction.
MPCB officials contend that despite the river passing through multiple local bodies’ jurisdictions, the PCMC’s area has become a hotspot for pollution. The PCMC, in turn, claims that the untreated water released from other jurisdictions should be under scrutiny, emphasizing their ongoing efforts to treat sewage water within their own purview.
A senior PCMC official highlighted the need for a comprehensive approach, stating that while they work to eliminate untreated water on their side of the Indrayani River, they must also monitor the untreated water discharged by neighboring local bodies, including Dehu, Alandi, and Talegaon.
The root cause of the pollution, according to a senior MPCB officer, lies in the mixing of treated or semi-treated sewage with untreated household sewage from various water bodies through multiple drains. The MPCB, along with local bodies, has issued directives, urging the formulation of a time-bound plan for sewage treatment. In a legal response, criminal cases have been initiated against municipal entities to address the severity of the situation.
The MPCB officer added that specific areas like Chikhali, Kudalwadi, Talawade, and Moshi, housing numerous warehouses, are contributing to the problem. Illegitimate industrial wastewater-generating activities take place in these godowns, coupled with the improper disposal of various materials such as plastic, paper, rubber, tires, wires, wood, iron, aluminum sheets, and plastic.
