The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is making waves in the city’s efforts to clean up the Mula-Mutha River with the help of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). They have recently obtained a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Mahatma Phule Agricultural University to kickstart work on a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at the Botanical Garden of the College of Agriculture. This move comes after the Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board in Nagpur granted an NOC to exclude the site from its previous designation as a Biodiversity Heritage Area.
The Mula-Mutha River Purification Project, backed by JICA, is a massive undertaking that involves the construction of 11 STPs throughout Pune city. Construction began in March 2022 and is set to be completed by 2025. With ten out of the 11 planned plants already in progress, the Botanical Garden site is the last hurdle in the project.
Initially, the site for the STP was designated as a Biodiversity Heritage Area, causing delays in construction. However, after continuous efforts by the PMC, the Maharashtra Biodiversity Board has finally issued an NOC to lift the reservation, clearing the way for work to begin at the final location pending approval from the College of Agriculture.
The project, which has a budget of ₹1,173 crore, aims to build a network of water channels and 11 treatment plants capable of handling 350 million liters of sewage per day. Once completed, the 20 treatment plants in total—11 new and 9 existing—will allow PMC to treat 90-95% of the city’s sewage before it enters the river.
With a timeline of 36 months, the project is expected to significantly reduce pollution levels in the Mula-Mutha River, contributing to its ecological revival. By addressing untreated sewage inflows, the initiative is on track to achieve its goal of restoring the river to a healthier state and improving the environmental quality of Pune.
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