Pune: 22 Lakh Litres Of Sewage Flows Into Khadakwasla Daily
Pune, 10th March 2023: As daily sewage from Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad cities goes directly into the river, this water is further polluting the reservoir of the Ujani Dam. As a result, the biodiversity in the area of Ujani Dam is on the verge of destruction. Due to this polluted water, the aquifers of the surrounding villages have also been polluted and drinking water problem has arisen. Shocking information has come to light that a similar situation will happen to Khadakwasla Dam in the next few years.
During the last decade, due to the large population growth in the catchment area of the Khadakwasla dam and the villages on the banks of the dam, as well as the surrounding companies, resort- hotel businesses, as many as 22 lakh liters of wastewater is being released into Khadakwasla dam every day. Pune residents will have to face a big problem in the future if this sewage is not treated on time. This problem was brought to the attention of the government by the Irrigation Department almost a year ago, according to the statistics. However, no action has been taken yet.
As the Khadakwasa dam was receiving a large amount of wastewater, taking note of it, the then deputy chief minister and guardian minister Ajit Pawar held a meeting in April last year. In this meeting, through Zilla Parishad, Sewage Treatment Center (STP) should be set up and made operational for old villages, Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) should make STP mandatory while giving construction permission to new hotels, bungalows, and resorts in the dam area, STP which is closed was ordered to be made operational immediately. However, after that, there was a change of government in the state and now even though it has been a year since this meeting, it is a fact that nothing has been done about it yet.
According to the information from the government, villages are located on both banks of the dam area of Khadakwasla, Panshet, and Varasgaon. The wastewater of this village gets mixed in the dam. Also, the wastewater of private industries on the upper side of Khadakwasla Dam enters the reservoir.
Above the Khadakwasla reservoir on the right bank of the river Khadakwasla, Gorhe Budruk, Gorhe Khurd, Khanapur, Donje, Malkhed, Osarde, Nigde, Vardade, Sonapur, Rule, Ambi, Kuran Khurd – these 13 villages are located. Kudje, Khadakwadi, Aglambe, Mandvi Khurd while Mandvi Budruk, Sangroon, Khanwadi, Dawje, Jambli, and Kuran Budruk – these are 10 villages are located at the left side of the bank.
These villages had a total population of 37,799 as per the 2011 census. Assuming an average population growth of 30 per cent in ten years, the population comes to approximately 50,000. For the above population of 50,000, the water consumption is 2.75 MLD according to the average water consumption of 55 liters per day. As per 80 per cent of the said daily water consumption 2.20 MLD of wastewater is generated. All this wastewater enters the Khadakwasla dam without treatment. This has increased the pollution in the reservoir.
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