IIT-Bombay's report for PCMC detects polluted rivers, recommends no housing project nearby Taloja MIDC
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It concludes that the civic body should not approve construction of new homes or housing projects adjacent to the dumping ground and near Taloja MIDC notified region.
Civic body has been suggested to incorporate waste to energy methods for effective disposal of solid waste such as bio-methanation plant, biomass gasifier, pyrolysis technique (thermochemical decomposition), etc, expressing concern over sewage disposal.
Dr Abhishek Chakraborty, assistant professor, Environmental Science and Engineering Department of the IIT-B led team had prepared the report. PCMC has appealed to the residents to go through the ESR after releasing it on its website last week.
The conclusion and recommendations asks the civic body to advocate for MPCB to conduct regular water quality monitoring and implement necessary remediation measures if contamination is detected in the water bodies.
The report pushes for enforcement of strict regulations to prevent discharge of industrial effluents into surface water bodies. Pollution in these water bodies impacts the environment and ecology.
Appropriate equipment should be used to clean and maintain all water bodies including rivers, lakes and ponds.
The data reveals— of the 471MT per day waste generated, 56% is wet, 40% dry, 3% sanitary and 1% hazardous in nature.
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The wastes are disposed of at the Cidco and Mumbai Waste Management facilities in Taloja MIDC area. The recommendation made to not allow the housing projects around the waste management facilities is attributed to air and water pollution.
The investigation points out that sewage disposal into nallahs and localized treatment systems should be installed before discharge. A suitable technology must be selected and implemented to improve the water quality of nallahs. The common effluent treatment plants should be assessed for their efficiency, maintenance and cleaning.
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Time of India
19 hours ago
- Time of India
IIT-Bombay's report for PCMC detects polluted rivers, recommends no housing project nearby Taloja MIDC
Navi Mumbai: IIT-Bombay's Environmental Status Report 2024-25 for Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) reveals that Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) does not currently monitor the water quality of polluted Taloja and Kasardi rivers, since water of these rivers are not used for drinking purposes. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It concludes that the civic body should not approve construction of new homes or housing projects adjacent to the dumping ground and near Taloja MIDC notified region. Civic body has been suggested to incorporate waste to energy methods for effective disposal of solid waste such as bio-methanation plant, biomass gasifier, pyrolysis technique (thermochemical decomposition), etc, expressing concern over sewage disposal. Dr Abhishek Chakraborty, assistant professor, Environmental Science and Engineering Department of the IIT-B led team had prepared the report. PCMC has appealed to the residents to go through the ESR after releasing it on its website last week. The conclusion and recommendations asks the civic body to advocate for MPCB to conduct regular water quality monitoring and implement necessary remediation measures if contamination is detected in the water bodies. The report pushes for enforcement of strict regulations to prevent discharge of industrial effluents into surface water bodies. Pollution in these water bodies impacts the environment and ecology. Appropriate equipment should be used to clean and maintain all water bodies including rivers, lakes and ponds. The data reveals— of the 471MT per day waste generated, 56% is wet, 40% dry, 3% sanitary and 1% hazardous in nature. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The wastes are disposed of at the Cidco and Mumbai Waste Management facilities in Taloja MIDC area. The recommendation made to not allow the housing projects around the waste management facilities is attributed to air and water pollution. The investigation points out that sewage disposal into nallahs and localized treatment systems should be installed before discharge. A suitable technology must be selected and implemented to improve the water quality of nallahs. The common effluent treatment plants should be assessed for their efficiency, maintenance and cleaning.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Citizens take on PCMC tree authority on new felling, transplantation plans
A heated public hearing over the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation's (PCMC) plan to fell thousands of trees along a nearly nine km stretch, from Wakad to Sangavi, for the Riverfront Development (RFD) project took place at the PCMC Garden Department in Bhosari on Monday. More than 100 citizens confronted Mahesh Gargote, garden superintendent of the PCMC and member-secretary, Tree Authority, and his team over the plan that they described as environmentally detrimental and full of legal violations. The public hearing comes after the PCMC issued a public notice on July 24, 2025, announcing the plan. In the days that followed, almost a thousand citizens mobilised to email their objections to the PCMC. They pointed out that 'This section of the Mula Riverbank is an ecological hot-spot, home to mature, native trees that form an integral part of the riparian ecosystem. These old-growth trees provide critical habitat for a variety of wildlife, including peacocks, hornbills, painted storks, turtles, and otters. The tree removal would result in irreversible habitat destruction and severely disrupt the river's delicate ecosystem'. On Monday, citizens raised their voices in person. Prajakta Mahajan of the Pune River Revival group was among the citizens who conducted spot checks on the trees. She showed the officials videos and images of the site, pointing out that 'PCMC said they would remove one tree and retain the one next to it, which is impossible as the roots of these old-growth trees are tangled'. 'Then, there are some trees that are half in water. You are saying that these three trees will be retained. How can you retain those trees if you are going to build embankments? How is it possible?' she asked the officials. She told The Indian Express, 'There are thousands of trees that will be impacted. We were given only a week and, if you consider this hearing, 10 days. It was impossible for us to check all the trees so we carried out a spot check in two areas.' In response to questions by some other citizens, Gargote said that trees would be transplanted in the defence area of Aundh and that 80 per cent transplantation efforts are successful – but citizens challenged these claims. Pushkar Kulkarni, a citizen, pointed out to the PCMC a Supreme Court judgment asking the state and Union Territories to form individual committees to identify any more deemed forests in their respective states and Union Territories. 'We don't know whether the government of Maharashtra has formed that committee yet and whether they have carried out the exercise as per the Supreme Court directives for Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad or PMR region in the whole,' Kulkarni said at the hearing. He had already issued a notice to PCMC chief Shekhar Singh 'asking if a committee has been formed and a survey on the riparian zone carried out'. 'If it is a deemed forest, there is no question of PMC or PCMC carrying out any tree cutting, removal or plantation either. They are not supposed to do anything in the deemed forest,' said Kulkarni. On Monday, he served Gargote, who is a member-secretary, Tree Authority, PCMC, with the notice. 'Now my advocates will do the needful. They will issue further notices from their side and we will see whether PCMC responds or complies,' Kulkarni told The Indian Express. Ameet Singh, an environmental activist and researcher, told PCMC officials that they had not followed the laws and provisions in the legal framework. 'The property belongs to the water resources department and the irrigation department. Those clearances have not been taken. Yet, they are pushing ahead with this project and felling all these numerous trees which are actually a riparian forest, so, they are an ecosystem by themselves. These trees are being felled just because they want to encroach on the cross-section of the river with the agenda of building a road and recreational spaces that citizens have not asked for. This is taking away the flood resilience of the city. If you see the recent circumstances, where we have been suffering from so much urban flooding. The only recourse that we have to mitigate urban flooding is the river,' he said.. Singh added that the docket that the PCMC has issued about the tree felling and transplantation plans was made without scientific study or methods. 'We want that the docket to be scrapped,' said Singh. Gargote said that they had taken note of all objections. 'A lot of suggestions have also come by email. We have taken notes on all the suggestions that were made by the people. We will compile these and any other suggestions for reforms that might come in. We will place these before our higher authority,' he said. Dipanita Nath is interested in the climate crisis and sustainability. She has written extensively on social trends, heritage, theatre and startups. She has worked with major news organizations such as Hindustan Times, The Times of India and Mint. ... Read More
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
State tightens rules for pop ganpati idols and forms expert panel for eco friendly disposal
Nagpur: The state government has banned the immersion of Lord Ganesh's Plaster of Paris (POP) idols in natural water bodies. A fresh set of guidelines, issued on August 1, introduces stricter norms. Under the new rules, all POP idols must carry a red circle painted on their back and be immersed only in artificial ponds. The norms aim to curb water pollution and promote eco-conscious rituals for a greener Ganeshotsav. "Every POP idol, big or small, must now have a painted red dot using oil paint. This mark will help citizens and authorities easily identify the material and ensure compliance with disposal norms," the government stated. Idol sellers and makers must maintain a detailed sale register and provide each customer with a pamphlet—supplied by local bodies—outlining immersion instructions. If no alternative is available for immersion, POP idols must be retrieved from natural water bodies the very next day. For idols under six feet—typically used in homes and small community setups—immersion is permitted only in artificial ponds. Local self-government bodies, such as municipal corporations and councils, have been instructed to set up dedicated registration desks for public mandals, collecting detailed information on the type and size of installed idols. They must also ensure adequate artificial pond infrastructure with proper water treatment facilities. Each pond must contain 8–10 times more water than required, and the water must be treated within a week before being sent to sewage treatment plants. Interestingly, the state is also encouraging reuse over immersion. Large mandals have been urged to install a small idol solely for 'visarjan', while preserving their grand idol for future years. Mandals are also being encouraged to adopt smaller idols altogether. After immersion, all sludge and material collected from ponds must be stored for at least 15 days and then processed scientifically. The government has directed local bodies to collaborate with institutions such as the National Chemical Laboratory and relevant NGOs for the environmentally safe recycling of POP waste. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has been directed to launch an aggressive awareness campaign through social media, traditional platforms, and local outreach initiatives. Direction boards to visarjan spots, street plays in schools, and massive community drives are part of the plan. These new rules, applicable to all festivals until March 2026, are legally binding. The state has made it clear: eco-friendliness is no longer optional—it's the new norm. State Forms Expert Panel to Draft Eco-Friendly POP Disposal Guidelines The state government has formed an expert committee to recommend methods for the reuse, recycling, and faster dissolution of POP idols in an eco-friendly manner. The move follows a Bombay High Court order dated July 24, which directed the state to constitute the panel within a month. A Government Resolution (GR) issued on August 1 details the formation of an eight-member committee comprising experts from premier institutions, including IIT Bombay, ICT Mumbai, Neeri (Nagpur), the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) Pune, and the Rajiv Gandhi Science and Technology Commission. The MPCB's member secretary will serve as the committee's chairperson. The panel is tasked with drafting scientific guidelines for safe disposal, promoting biodegradable alternatives, and developing certification standards for eco-friendly POP products. It is authorised to conduct field studies, consult subject matter experts, and utilize government resources as needed. The MPCB will fund and support the committee, which has six months to submit its final report to the state government. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
