Pimpri-Chinchwad gets environment plan

The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), where the environment is facing industrial onslaught, has failed to prepare the environment status report (ESR) for the last two years. Now, the civic body has scrapped the ESR, and has come up with a draft environment action plan for 20 years.

The reason given for scrapping the annual environment status report (ESR) is that the exercise means nothing more than reprinting the same facts with minor changes.

The civic body had established its separate environment cell two years ago, before which the environment department was a part of the health department.

PCMC environment cell executive engineer Sanjay Kulkarni told DNA, “The environment department feels that the city needs a long-term action plan for long-term effect. That is why instead of wasting the time repeating the same facts; the department is drafting an environment action plan.”

Describing the key factor of the environment action plan, Kulkarni said, “Its thrust would be on river conservation, air monitoring, capping old garbage and creating lawn over it and proper disposal of e-waste.”

For river conservation, the civic officials have drafted plans for Pavana, Indrayani and Mula-Mutha rivers that flow through PCMC limits.

They include desalination, construction of gibbon wall and development of natural ghats, besides preservation of aquatic wealth. The feasibility report of Pavana river conservation has been prepared, while the work on the others is underway.

The civic body intends to set up air monitoring stations in the city to monitor air quality and collect data of ratio of harmful particles of carbon monoxide and nitrogen in the air.

The long-term action plan will deal with garbage disposal.