Illegal dumping on Ramnadi to be probed

Pune district collector Chandrakant Dalvi has dispatched the district mining officer to probe allegations of illegal dumping along the banks of the Ramnadi in Bavdhan.

DNA has taken up the issue with the collector. According to the residents, the dumping has been happening for the last few weeks.

Concerned residents had complained to both the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the office of the district collector, without any significant response. When DNA informed the collector, he immediately dispatched his mining officer to the spot to prepare a report.

With Bavdhan fast emerging a prime residential location, the lands along the Ramnadi in Bavdhan Budruk have been witnessing a construction boom. Thanks to the dumping of the debris, the level of the land has risen by almost 10 feet from the river bed.

Due to the illegal encroachments, Ramnadi, a small river flowing through the localities of Bavdhan, Pashan and Baner, caused devastation during the flash floods in July and October last year. Due to heavy rainfall, the river breached its banks and entered residential complexes, causing damage in  lakhs of rupees. Housing societies at Ramnagar Colony and Sai Kamal Society had borne the brunt of the flood.

The main cause of the flash floods is the encroachment on both banks of the river right from its place of origin. River restoration activist and member of Jal Dindi and Jal Biradari, Vinod Bodhankar said, “The flash floods were due to the mushrooming of illegal encroachments on either side of the river. In Bavdhan, DSK Ranwara, with its compound wall,  is the biggest encroachment on the river bed.”

Activists point out how flash floods might become the order of the day if illegal encroachments are not addressed. However, since the last few weeks, residents of Bavdhan have been noticing dumping of debris on the western bank of the river, Bavdhan Budruk area.

Bodhankar expressed concern about the dumping. He explained how this will increase the chances of flash floods in the future.

“Change in the gradient of the river bed is detrimental to both the ecosystem and the constructions along the river bed. During last year’s flash floods, the buildings situated near the river bank suffered the most damage. The flood line region of any river should be left untouched; otherwise it causes imbalance in the course of the flow of water,” he said.