Set up sewage treatment infra to save Ramnadi: NGT

Time of India

2 days ago

Pune: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) bench in Pune has issued stringent directions to multiple authorities to tackle the pollution because of the release of sewage water in the Ramnadi, giving six months to set up proper drainage and waste water treatment systems via sewage treatment plants.
The bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and expert member Vijay Kulkarni directed Bhugaon and Bhukum gram panchayats to establish proper drainage networks and waste water treatment via sewage treatment plants within six months to prevent domestic wastewater from flowing into the river. Similarly, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has been ordered to set up proper drainage networks for 23 newly merged villages and install STPs within the same timeframe.
The tribunal's decision was based on a joint committee report that revealed extensive pollution in the 19.5-km-long Ramnadi, flowing from Khatpewadi in the Sahyadris to its confluence with the Mula river in Aundh. The committee found that villages along Ramnadi lacked proper drainage networks, domestic effluent from residential areas flew untreated into the river, the PMC's storm water lines were contaminated with domestic wastewater and two underground drainage lines from Bhugaon Gram Panchayat connected to Ramnadi were causing more river pollution.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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The PMC has been specifically directed to stop domestic wastewater flow through storm water lines within six months, ensuring that contaminated water doesn't reach Ramnadi through these channels. Bhugaon Gram Panchayat would have to immediately stop wastewater flow through underground drainage lines unless the water is treated through STPs or alternative systems. All authorities, comprising the PMC, PMRDA (Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority) and both gram panchayats, must prevent solid waste dumping on riverbanks and take penal action against violators, including filing FIRs.
Lawyer and Bavdhan resident Krunnal Narayan Gharre had filed the case. He conducted his own survey using satellite imagery and identified 23 locations where sewage was being discharged into Ramnadi.
His research revealed that a sewer line built perpendicular to the river flow had broken, likely because of monsoon damage and faulty design. The applicant had made multiple complaints to various authorities from December 2022, including the PMC and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), but saw little action.
The tribunal noted that while PMRDA claimed to be only a planning authority, the Maharashtra Metropolitan Region Development Authority Act, 2016, made it responsible for executing development plans, including infrastructure like sewerage lines. About 8km of Ramnadi flows through PMC limits, while the remaining stretch falls under the PMRDA's jurisdiction, with Zilla Parishad and gram panchayats serving as executing bodies.
The NGT observed that if pollution in Ramnadi was controlled through these measures, it would consequently reduce pollution in Pashan lake, which currently received contaminated water from the river.
Gharre told TOI, "It could be treated as a landmark judgment because it brings into focus the statutory role of PMRDA — not just as a planning authority, but also as a local body responsible for execution and enforcement. Apart from major directives to set up sewage infrastructure in the 23 merged villages in PMC within six months, the order opens legal avenues to challenge the basic flaw of granting building permissions in the absence of basic infrastructure.
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