Two premium housing societies in Pune allegedly found polluting Ramnadi River
These housing societies are allegedly releasing untreated sewage water into the Ramnadi river causing outrage among the residents of Bhugaon and Bhukum as well as environmental activists who have complained to the MPCB and local gram panchayats
The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has initiated action against two premium housing societies in Bhugaon and Bhukum for allegedly violating environmental laws and polluting the Ramnadi river, officials said.
These housing societies are allegedly releasing untreated sewage water into the Ramnadi river causing outrage among the residents of Bhugaon and Bhukum as well as environmental activists who have complained to the MPCB and local gram panchayats. Apart from the MPCB and gram panchayats, the Bhugaon and Bhukum officials during inspection have confirmed that these housing societies are releasing untreated sewage into the Ramnadi river.
Advocate Krunnal Gharre, who has complained to the local bodies and the MPCB, said, “The people of Bhugaon and Bhukum, along with their gram panchayats, are committed to cleaning the Ramnadi river. But these societies, to save on maintenance costs, are releasing untreated sewage into the river. This is not just illegal, but also a serious health hazard.”
The Bhugaon gram panchayat on Thursday, May 8, issued a letter to the developer of the housing society stating that the Ramnadi river is being polluted due to continuous and heavy discharge of sewage water leading in turn to environmental and public health hazards. The letter demanded that the housing society submit a written explanation for discharging untreated sewage within five days to avoid legal action.
According to area residents, this is a failure on the part of the authorities. The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), grants occupancy certificates (OCs) to housing societies without verifying the presence of functioning sewage treatment plants (STPs) or proper sewage infrastructure. Once the OC is issued, there is no follow-up to ensure compliance by the housing societies, the residents claimed.
Similarly, the Bhukum gram panchayat on Wednesday issued a letter to the developer of the housing society regarding sewage and drainage water being released into the Ramnadi river. The gram panchayat noted that the STP of the housing society is not functioning properly, resulting in untreated, dark and dirty water being released into the river. The letter demanded that treated STP water be reused for irrigation and other purposes and that the housing society ensure that no unclean water enters the river after receipt of this letter to avoid legal action.
Babasaheb Kukade, sub-regional officer, MPCB Pune, said, “We have received the complaint and even visited the location twice to check the facts. During the visit, we have found untreated sewage water being released into the river by these societies. We have initiated action against both the housing societies and show cause notices will be issued to them in a couple of days.”
