Hey Pune peeps, here’s some news for you – a committee has been set up to demarcate the floodline of the Mula-Mutha river. The High Court gave a 4-week deadline for this task, but it looks like it’s going to take around seven months to complete.
The blue and red floodlines of the river were marked in 2011 and 2016, respectively, but they weren’t done accurately. There are several nullahs downstream the Khadakwasla Dam that were left out when the floodlines were being determined.
So, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the High Court claiming that there’s still a flood risk and the safety of residents living along the riverbanks wasn’t taken into account. The petitioners, including environmentalist Sarang Yadwadkar and civic activists Vivek Velankar and Vijay Kumbhar, brought this issue to light.
The HC ordered the formation of a committee led by the Additional Chief Secretary of the Water Resources Department to look into the floodline problem. The committee is supposed to submit a report within four weeks, according to an order issued on June 26.
One of the committee members, Additional Municipal Commissioner BP Prithviraj, recently held an online meeting to discuss the details of the 2011 and 2016 floodlines. It was mentioned that the Irrigation Department had considered all aspects when demarcating the floodlines back then, so the old report needs to be thoroughly reviewed before a new one can be presented to the court. This process could take up to 6-7 months.
Prithviraj BP stated, “The main concerns are regarding the floodlines of the Mutha river. The committee went over the floodline set in 2016 and will re-examine the information provided by the Irrigation Department at that time. A fresh report will be submitted to the court.”
Velankar, one of the petitioners, added, “If the committee members are determined, they can definitely meet the deadline for the report. It’s all about the willpower to get the job done.” So, let’s see how this story unfolds in the coming months!
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