Mumbai: The Union Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change and Information & Broadcasting, Shri Prakash Javadekar has said that about 70% of the first package of Mula-Mutha River Cleaning Project, namely Construction of Branch Sewers in Baner Area, has been completed. He said that he will visit the site and review the progress of the package, along with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Guardian Minister of Pune, Pune Lok Sabha MP, Mayor of Pune Municipal Corporation, and other officials.
The Minister announced also that the foundation stone for four more packages (involving construction of Sewage Treatment Plants) will be laid within two months, by the first week of August, 2019. The final clearance for these four packages will be obtained in a few days, the Minister said.
The Minister said this during an interaction with the media, after a meeting in Pune today, where he reviewed the progress of the project to reduce the pollution of Mula-Mutha River. Lok Sabha MP, Pune, Shri Girish Bapat; Mayor, Pune Municipal Corporation, Ms. Mukta Tilak; officials of the Ministry of EF&CC, Government of India; Forest, Water Resources and Environment departments of Government of Maharashtra; State Pollution Control Board; Pune Municipal Corporation; Pune Standing Committee and the consultant appointed for the project participated in the meeting.
Shri Javadekar said that the dream of Pune city is going to be fulfilled soon, as the project has now been fast-tracked. He informed that all agencies have met together and decided project timelines, and that he will do a monthly follow-up of the project activities.
The Minister pointed out that this is a joint project of Government of India and Pune Municipal Corporation for cleaning of Mula- Mutha River, under National River Conservation Plan, and not a project of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), as it is commonly known. JICA is the bank which is providing the finances, but the project is that of Government of India and PMC, said the Minister.
Noting that the loan given by JICA will be repaid neither by the Government of Maharashtra nor by the PMC but by the Government of India, the Minister said that this project is a gift of the Government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Pune. He recalled that the project was pending for ten years, from 2004 – 2014, after which clearance was given to it when he took over as Union Environment Minister in 2014.
Background:
The Mula Mutha river at Pune is among the 35 polluted river stretches of the country, which have been classified as Priority 1 (the highest risk category) by Central Pollution Control Board. The major reasons for pollution of Mula Mutha are discharge of untreated domestic waste water into the river due to inadequate sewerage system (including pumping stations) and sewage treatment capacity in the town, as well as open defecation on the river banks.
A loan agreement was signed between Government of India and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in January 2016, for cleaning of Mula-Mutha River under National River Conservation Plan (NRCP). The agreement was signed in the presence of the then Environment Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar.
As per the agreement, the Government of Japan committed to provide a soft loan of 19.064 billion Yen (about Rs. 1000 crore) to Government of India at an interest rate of 0.30% per annum. The project cost will be shared between Government of India and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the implementing agency for the project, in the ratio of 85:15 respectively. The share of Central Government in project will be Rs. 841.72 crore and share of PMC would be Rs. 148.54 crore. The loan has to be repaid by Government of India in a period of 40 years, including a 10-year grace period. The project is scheduled to be completed by January, 2022.
Major components proposed under the project include the construction of eleven new Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), laying of 113.6 km of sewer lines for collection of untapped sewage and renovation/rehabilitation of four existing intermediate pumping stations. These meaaures will increase the sewage treatment capacity of Pune from 477 MLD to 873 MLD, enabling the city to cater to its sewage treatment requirements till the year 2027.
The new STPs would be designed for effluent quality of BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand) < 10 mg/l, TSS (Total Suspended Solids) < 10 mg/l along with capability to remove fecal coliform and nutrients (nitrogen & phosphorus). The project also includes installation of Central SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) system for centralized monitoring of functioning of both existing and new STPs; construction of 24 units of community toilet facilities in slum and fringe areas; public participation and awareness programmes; and GIS mapping of sewerage facilities for better asset management. A Project Management Consultant appointed by the Ministry, as per JICA Guidelines, will assist in implementation and monitoring of the project.
The project will have a significant, direct beneficial impact in terms of reduction of pollution load in the river and improvement of the quality of its water. Some of the collateral benefits of the project include use of tertiary treated effluent for irrigation and employment opportunities, particularly in the construction stage. The project will also improve the aesthetics and sanitation of Pune.
Biogas (methane) from STPs will be used to generate electricity. To that extent, this will not only be a non-conventional energy source, but will also provide benefits in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (methane being a greenhouse gas).
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