Pune: PMC’s Mula-Mutha River Restoration Project Faces Backlash Over Environmental Concerns
Pune PMC's Mula-Mutha River Restoration Project Faces Backlash Over Environmental Concerns
The Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) River Rejuvenation Project has triggered widespread discontent among residents, who accuse the civic body of prioritizing urbanization over ecological preservation. The project, which targets the development of riverfronts along the Mula – Mutha rivers, has raised alarms about the potential destruction of the natural river ecosystem and heightened flooding risks.
Approved by the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority, the project emphasizes extensive concretization of floodplains. Critics argue this approach neglects the importance of maintaining a clean and natural river system. “Is a clean natural river not a priority over concretization?” questioned resident Jaydeep Baphna on social media.
🛑 Brace yourself Punekar 🛑
— Jaideep Baphna, CFA (@jbaphna) November 25, 2024
@PMCPune same stubbornness as yours, plan for unnatural riverfront developments along with climate change flooded Spain…
Is clean natural river not a priority over concretisation of floodplains? @PuneRivers pic.twitter.com/FMPJQqUnvu
Activist Sarang Yadwadkar added, “We will resist this project to the very end, but citizens must brace for floods—polluted sewage floods—due to this reckless development.”
Dear Punekars,
— Sarang Yadwadkar (@SVYadwadkar) November 26, 2024
We are going to fight this out to the last nail.
But in the mean while, buy some dinghies and be prepared for floods.
That too, not of clean water but black sewage entering your houses.
Thanks to PMC and the Ahmedabadi consultant.@AUThackeray@ChaloPmc@PuneRivers https://t.co/TrIkKtxN29
Environmentalists have raised concerns over how the project secured clearance despite its potential to damage the river’s fragile ecosystem. Residents are calling for greater accountability and urging the PMC to shift its focus toward sustainable solutions that preserve the rivers and resolve the city’s water crisis.
As protests grow, citizens are demanding a reevaluation of the project, emphasizing the need for environmental sustainability and long-term water security over urban beautification.
