Updated January 27th, 2023 at 19:12 IST
Maharashtra: A layer of toxic foam seen on Indrayani river in Alandi town, locals worry
A layer of toxic foam is seen on the Indrayani river in Alandi town of Pune district in Maharashtra, residents and devotees near the Siddheshwar Ghat worry.
Advertisement
A layer of toxic foam was seen on the Indrayani river in Alandi town of Pune district in Maharashtra, residents and devotees near Siddheshwar Ghat say that the issue has been there for the past 10 years.
Locals also said there has been no concrete action by the higher authorities towards the alarming situation.
#WATCH | Maharashtra: A layer of toxic foam seen on Indrayani river in Alandi town of Pune district.
— ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2023
Local residents & devotees near Siddheshwar Ghat say that the issue has been going on for past 10 yrs & has aggravated in the last 4 yrs, also say that no action has been taken pic.twitter.com/pK4TuFOk6X
The locals said that even after reporting the issue the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), and Alandi Municipal Council have not paid attention to it.
Locals speak on the alarming issue
Vilas Kate, a lawyer-activist from the area, said, "Hundreds of devotees take a holy dip in the river. A few also perform the rituals of the last rites. The issue is not only about pollution but also about people's faith and devotion." The residents also stated that the incidents of fish dying have also been reported a lot of times.
Arjun Medankar, an activist from Alandi last month said that the foam was earlier appearing twice or thrice a year but in 2022, it was visible almost every night. He urged authorities to take speedy action to prevent the pollution.
Ankush Jadhav, the chief officer of the civic council, said, "We have been urging the PCMC authorities to set up sewage treatment plants (STPs) to prevent pollution. The Alandi Municipal Council has decided to set up an STP of 4.2MLD capacity. We have made land available to Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran, the executing agency in the town, to address the water pollution issue to some extent."
Sanjay Kulkarni, head of the environment section of the PCMC, said, "The civic body has prepared a detailed project report on the STPs. The river is getting polluted at multiple locations due to development in Lonavla, Talegaon Dabhade, and Dehu. The MPCB officials did not respond to phone calls and text messages till going to the press."
About Indrayani river
The Indrayani river gets originated in the Western ghats near Lonavala, passes through Kamshet, Dehu, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and Alandi, and later meets the Bhima river at Talapur in Shirur tehsil.
Advertisement
Published January 27th, 2023 at 19:13 IST
Your Voice. Now Direct.
Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.