Trebling STPs and Doubling Capacity – The Way Pune Looks to Protect Its Mula-Mutha River

Rivers provided the best location for cities to grow in the civilizational history of India but the industrial and urban manifestations of modern day have almost strangled these rivers to death or almost death. In a wise move, the Pune Municipal Corporation has decided that it will be trebling up the numbers of sewage treatment plants and doubling the capacity to treat wastewater that is presently flowing into Mula-Mutha River. The PMC hopes that the multiplication of STPs will help improve the quality of river water.

The PMC is building 10 STPs in the city which will be increased to 29 in the years to come. At present, the capacity of the STPs stand at 576- million litres per day (MLD). Once all 29 STPs are complete and operational, this capacity is expected to increase to 1,125-MLD.

Under the scheme of things, PMC will be reconstructing one STP out of the existing 10 and build 11 new STPs. The combined capacity of these constructions will be 396-MLD. The project is being funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Two more STPs will be established to treat wastewater generated from 11 villages. Seven more STPs will come up to cater to the needs of 23 villages. All these villages were brought to the jurisdictions of the PMC two years back.

The total STPs that will be constructed here onwards will be 29. Pune Municipal Commissioner Vikram Kumar said that PMC wants to ensure clean water in Mula-Mutha and the riverfront development project will also go along.

The PMC Commissioner said, “Construction of the 11 STPs funded by JICA has commenced, and plans for increasing the number of STPs to meet future needs have been established.”

As per reports, the PMC is discussing possibilities of loan from International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is a part of the World Bank Group, to get a loan for the 7 STPs meant for the 23 villages. It looks to secure Rs 1,270 crore for the STPs project as loan.

The 11 new STPs that are being funded by JICA are already under construction. They will be ready by March 2025. JICA has also allocated Rs 250 crore for operation and maintenance (O&M) for the next 15 years.

Mula-Mutha Beautification Project

Besides developing STPs to clean the quality of Mula-Mutha River, PMC is also going ahead with the river beautification project that looks to develop the 44 km stretch of the river. This is being done within Pune city limits. PMC will be building pathways for walking and cycling, 16 new boating facilities, 40 ghats and the food courts along the river.