Panel okays Rs715 crore plan for 100% sewage treatment in Pune

The city improvement committee (CIC) of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Monday approved a Rs715-crore project to develop five new sewage treatment plants and augment capacity of five existing ones to ensure 100% treatment of sewage before releasing it into the river.

CIC chairman, Arun Dhimdhime told reporters the PMC would be required to provide Rs71 crore as 10% share for the project. The Central government would provide 70% of the funding, while the state government 20%. The project is to be completed within two years. The administration has been told to start work on the project immediately assuming that the general body and the state government would approve the same.

He said 718 MLD (million litres per day) sewage is generated in the city. Out of that 567 MLD is treated in 10 plants in the city. However, 151 MLD sewage is released in the rivers without treatment, which causes serious pollution.

The PMC would establish five new sewage treatment plants at Warje, Wadgaon Budruk, Dhanori, Botanical Garden and Hadapsar. It would also augment capacity of five out of ten existing plants.

The capacity of sewage treatment would be increased by 177 MLD in two years and hence there would be 100% treatment of sewage water after completion of the projects.

The new projects would cost Rs542 crore, while Rs172.23 crore would be needed for maintenance for next five years.

It may be recalled that the then Union environment minister, Jairam Ramesh had commented that the rivers in the city resemble gutters due to untreated sewage water.