Release of industrial and domestic waste into Pavana river is not only resulting in pollution but is also directly responsible for the growth of water hayacinth a cause of mosquito menace in Pimpri Chinchwad every year.
The 20-km stretch of the river in Pimpri Chinchwad starts at Mamurdi near Dehu Road and ends at Dapodi where it merges with Mula river. Though the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has constructed several sewage treatment plants (STP) along the river, the quality of river water remains poor. The clean and serene river water turns jet black in Thergaon. After this, several nullahs carrying sewage waste join the river at various places. A close observation shows that a number of drainage chambers in Pimple Gurav and adjoining areas are broken. At Pavaneshwar temple and Phugewadi, the drainage lines open directly into the river.
By the end of winter, a green carpet of hyacinth starts enveloping the river. The stagnant water is conducive for growth of mosquitoes. The municipal corporation is forced to spend lakhs of rupees every year to remove the hyacinth when people complain of sudden growth in mosquitoes.
Raju Salve, vice-president of the environment cell of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), said, “Many drainage chambers in Pimple Gurav, Sangvi and Kasarwadi areas are broken. The untreated sewage flows directly into the river. Further many drainage pipelines open directly into the river in these areas polluting the river. The drainage department must keep a watch on the chambers located in the riverbed and repair the broken ones.”
Salve said earlier the drainage chambers were located away from the river in Sangvi and Pimple Gurav areas. But as illegal dumping began around a decade back, the chambers got buried under the debris. The drainage department then constructed new chambers in the riverbed, Salve said.
Source: Timesofindia
