Maharashtra Tops List With 54 Polluted Rivers; Pune, Mumbai, Solapur Among Most Affected, Reveals CPCB Report

Pune, October 7, 2025: Despite numerous plans drawn up on paper to restore river health, authorities have failed to cure the “illness” of rivers in Pune. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has once again ranked Maharashtra first in the list of the most polluted rivers in India — for the third consecutive report in eight years.

https://cpcb.nic.in/openpdffile.php?id=TGF0ZXN0RmlsZS80NjZfMTc1ODk1MDM2Ml9tZWRpYXBob3RvMzE2Ni5wZGY=

The CPCB recently released a national report titled “Polluted River Stretches for Restoration of Water Quality”, highlighting the worsening state of river pollution across India. The findings reveal that 296 rivers nationwide are polluted, categorized into “severely polluted,” “highly polluted,” and “moderately polluted” groups.

In Maharashtra, Kalu River (Thane) and Mithi River (Mumbai) fall under the “severely polluted” category.

In the second category are Mula, Mula-Mutha, and Pavana Rivers in Pune District, and Bhima River in Solapur. Indrayani River ranks in the third category, while Ghod River in Shirur Taluka falls in the fourth. Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad suffer from insufficient sewage treatment plants (STPs), and most existing units are outdated, resulting in over 50% untreated sewage being released directly into rivers. Waste from residential and industrial sources continues to make several river stretches chronically polluted year after year.

Environmental experts have repeatedly criticized the slow pace of administrative action, stressing the urgent need to increase the number of STPs to match Pune’s growing population and sewage volume. Despite crores of rupees being spent over two decades on river pollution control, the CPCB report confirms that no significant improvement has been achieved.

Status of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) in Pune

• Pune generates 980 million liters of sewage daily.
• 9 STPs currently process 477 million liters per day (MLD).
• The remaining sewage — hundreds of millions of liters — flows untreated into rivers.
• Under the National River Conservation Plan, 11 new STPs are proposed in the suburbs.
• Work has begun on several units, which will process an additional 400 MLD once completed.

What is BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand)?

‘BOD’ is a measure of organic pollution in water. The lower the BOD, the better the water quality. It indicates how much oxygen (in milligrams per liter) microorganisms need to decompose organic matter in polluted water.
CPCB used BOD levels to assess river water quality across critical stretches.

Most Polluted River Stretches in Pune

• Mula River: Harrison Bridge to Aundh Bridge
• Mula-Mutha River: Mundhwa Bridge to Theur Route
• Pavana River: Sangvi Village to Dapodi Bridge
• Ghod River: Shirur Village Area

Key Findings from the CPCB Report

• Maharashtra ranked first for river pollution for three consecutive reports (2018 – 53 rivers, 2022 – 55 rivers, 2025 – 54 rivers).
• Due to administrative inefficiency, 149 rivers across India remain polluted.
• No river in Maharashtra is pollution-free, though 29 rivers show slight improvement in water quality.
• Assam recorded the highest number (43) of clean rivers.
• Goa, Gujarat, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh each have over ten clean rivers.

River Stretches Showing Noticeable Improvement

• Mula River: Bopodi to Aundhgaon
• Mutha River: Khadakwasla to Shivajinagar
• Indrayani River: Moshi to Alandi
• Mutha River: Khadakwasla Dam Area

BOD Levels Along Different Points of Mutha River

Location	BOD (mg/L)
Vitthalwadi	36.32
Mhatre Bridge	37.35
Erandwane	32.94
Joshi Bridge	35.24
Omkareshwar	26.71
Railway Bridge	34.08
(CPCB’s permissible BOD limit: 30 mg/L)