Pune, Apr 23 (PTI) The Pune Municipal Corporation would institutionalise river conservation efforts and conduct a weekly cleanliness drive for the Mula-Mutha river, civic chief Naval Kishore Ram has said.
People’s participation is key to restoring the polluted river system, he underlined while addressing the ‘Nadi Mahotsav’ event here on Wednesday.
Calling for a collective resolve, Ram said the weekly drives would focus on the most neglected areas rather than visually appealing locations. “This campaign will now be officially institutionalised. ‘Nadi Mahotsav’ will not remain an annual event but a continuous movement,” he added.
The commissioner said the initiative would move beyond symbolic programmes and take the form of a structured, continuous campaign.
“The river cleanliness drive should be conducted every week. We will identify the dirtiest stretches and clean them with the participation of the public, NGOs, students, NSS volunteers, corporators and officials,” he said.
The second edition of the river festival was organised on Wednesday on the banks of the Mutha river at Vitthalwadi on Sinhagad Road.
Pune Mayor Manjusha Nagpure, who was present on the occasion, emphasised the need for strict implementation of the plastic ban in daily life and directed the civic administration to chalk out an action plan.
“A complete ban on plastic within city limits must be the top priority if Pune is serious about environmental reform. The partial measures and inconsistent enforcement have failed to curb its widespread use,” she noted.
Highlighting the need for behavioural change, Ram drew an analogy with Raj Kapoor’s films ‘Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai’ and ‘Ram Teri Ganga Maili’ to illustrate how the same river could be seen as pristine in one era and polluted in another. The message, he said, was that rapid urban growth without proper planning has led to environmental degradation.
The commissioner acknowledged that the Mula-Mutha river faces severe pollution, categorising it into “source pollution” and “non-source pollution”.
While source pollution, such as untreated sewage, is being addressed through infrastructure projects, non-source pollution caused by littering, improper waste disposal by households, and construction debris remains a major challenge.
Ram said the Pune Municipal Corporation is implementing large-scale measures, including setting up sewage treatment plants (STPs) with a total capacity of 1,100 MLD, expected to be operational within a year.
The civic body is also pushing for improved solid and liquid waste management across housing societies and stricter handling of construction and demolition (C&D) waste from over 1,400 active sites in the city.
Emphasising the scale of the challenge, the commissioner noted that while around 4,000 civic personnel are engaged in sanitation work, Pune’s population of nearly 80 lakh makes it impossible to maintain cleanliness without public cooperation.
“If citizens decide not to litter, the need for cleaning itself reduces significantly,” he said, citing global examples from developed countries.
The initiative is aligned with the Centre’s ‘Mission LiFE’ (Lifestyle for Environment), which promotes sustainable living practices, including water conservation and waste reduction.
The commissioner also flagged concerns about potential water stress linked to climate phenomena such as El Niño and stressed the need for responsible consumption. PTI SPK GK
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