Pune still lacks 11 sewage treatment plants after nine years

Pune is facing a significant delay in the completion of eleven sewage treatment plants (STPs) that are part of the Mula-Mutha Rivers Pollution Abatement project. The project was approved in 2016, but after nearly nine years, the plants are still not operational. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is working on this project with funding mainly from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The total cost of the project is around Rs 990 crore. Once finished, these STPs are expected to treat an additional 396 million liters of sewage daily. PMC officials have mentioned a target completion date of March 31, 2025, but they say that electrical work is still ongoing, which is causing delays. Currently, Pune generates about 980 million liters of sewage each day, but the available treatment capacity is inadequate. PMC needs to treat this sewage to qualify for more water from the irrigation department. The department wants all sewage treated before the PMC can request additional water. Even though PMC is allocated around 17 TMC of water each year, they currently use nearly 21 TMC and are aiming for a target of 24 TMC to meet rising demands. The Mula-Mutha rivers were identified as highly polluted by the Central Pollution Control Board in 2015. Many properties in Pune contribute to this issue by releasing untreated wastewater, which increases pollution levels. This situation underscores the importance of completing the STPs. Opposition parties are criticizing the ruling BJP for not delivering on promises related to this project. Congress leader Mohan Joshi accused the BJP of failing to clean the rivers effectively. Environmentalists also urge that the sewage treatment project should be prioritized over other initiatives that may not significantly improve river health.