Pune: PCB Rejuvenates British-Era Natural Water Spring Along Solapur Road
Manisha Swain & Siddhi Dharmadhikari
Pune Camp, 18th January 2022: The Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) has rejuvenated a natural water spring that has been there since the British era which is located on the Pune-Solapur road. The natural spring is spread over 1.5 acres on A1 defence land.
PCB CEO Amit Kumar said, “We had received directions from the Ministry of Defence for rejuvenating the water bodies in the cantonment area. Across the country, 75 water bodies in 62 cantonments were identified for the process of rejuvenation. Two such water bodies have been identified in the Pune cantonment.
One major project was taken up along the Pune-Solapur highway. A water spring was identified which existed since the British era. It was not properly maintained and the land became very marshy resulting in the growth of dense vegetation. The condition was such that people were not aware of the presence of a water body in the area. After identifying the water body, the rejuvenation work was undertaken by our team. After the hard work of the engineering staff, we were able to complete the process.”
He further added, “The direction for rejuvenation had come from the Ministry with regards to Prime Minister’s flagship program ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ which commemorates the 75 years of India’s independence. Many other schemes and projects were also implemented regarding sanitation, public awareness, etc.”
Assistant executive engineer Sukhdev Patil informed, “In phase I, we cleaned up the dense vegetation, the slit and mud was taken out. I was leading a team of 25 workers who were working continuously and this project was completed within two months. Stone pitching has been done along the side to avoid the mixture of elements such as sand, mud, and small stones with water. This waterbody is also a perennial source of water.”
“There was a problem regarding manpower when it came to deep digging which was solved after hiring machines. To complete such a project in a short period, we had to work day and night continuously, the team was excellent in their work and we were able to make it happen,” he added.
The officials said that the future use and its access to the general public will be decided by the local military authority (LMA). The project was taken up as an environmental up-gradation and conservation project.
