Pune: Unchecked Pollution By Bhugaon And Bhukum Societies Threatens Ramnadi Cleanup Efforts, Locals Demand Accountability From PMRDA, MPCB
Pune: Unchecked Pollution By Bhugaon And Bhukum Societies Threatens Ramnadi Cleanup Efforts, Locals Demand Accountability From PMRDA, MPCB
Pune, 7 May 2025 – As residents of Bhugaon and Bhukum unite to restore their beloved Ramnadi, premium residential societies like Skyi Manas Lake and Songbird continue to release untreated sewage, severely undermining these community-driven efforts.
Despite multiple complaints, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has failed to take action, even as live videos and images clearly capture the extent of pollution being discharged into the river.
Adv. Krunnal Gharre, a vocal advocate for the river’s restoration, says, “The villagers of Bhugaon and Bhukum, along with their respective Gram Panchayats, are tirelessly working to clean the river because they consider it their responsibility.
Unfortunately, those who have purchased flats here seem disconnected from this community effort, ignoring the fact that the same polluted water eventually returns to their homes for daily use. To save on maintenance, these societies are cutting corners, disregarding the law and the environment.”
The issue lies not just with these societies, but also with MPCB and PMRDA, which grant Occupancy Certificates (OC) without verifying whether local sewage infrastructure is in place. Once OC is granted, there are no follow-up inspections to ensure that sewage treatment plants (STPs) are operational. By law, all STPs must relay real-time operational data to MPCB, but this critical data is missing – a glaring oversight that threatens the health of local water bodies.
Frustrated by this ongoing negligence, concerned residents will now be approaching the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to demand explanations from MPCB on why it is failing to enforce its own regulations, and from PMRDA on how it is granting OCs without verifying the presence of adequate local sewage systems, as required by MPCB STP operational rules.
