Illegal and unethical debris dumping in the Mula-Ramnadi River has provoked widespread public outrage, with citizens and activists accusing local authorities of violating court orders and jeopardizing the safety of Pune’s residents. The dumping, allegedly carried out by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), is said to be in contempt of a Bombay High Court directive requiring the scientific re-identification of the city’s flood lines.
ज्या ठिकाणी नैसर्गिक नदी किनारा व प्रवाह आहे, दोन नद्यांचा संगम आहे, त्याठिकाणी नेमका काय ‘सुधार’ आणि कोणाचे ‘पुनरुज्जीवन’ चालू आहे? @pcmccomm @PmcPuneRe @INECC2 @CitizensPune @ForOikos @ecologicalsoc @Jeevitnadi @Indian_Rivers https://t.co/E6xYM9icjA
— Priyadarshini Karve (@PKarve_Samuchit) December 20, 2024
Residents speak up
Angad Patwardhan, a resident of Aundh, speaking to the Free Press Journal, said, “The current red and blue flood lines for Pune’s rivers had been drawn arbitrarily, because of which we see many types of constructions in danger zones. In its order on 26th June 2024, for PIL No. 36 of 2021, the Hon’ble Bombay High Court has directed Maharashtra’s Water Resources Dept. to scientifically re-identify flood lines for all rivers of Pune. This exercise has to also incorporate the flows from free catchment areas, as well as account for extreme weather events like cloudbursts, intense rainfall, etc. When done properly, this will move the red and blue flood lines.
“But even after 6 months, there has been no action from the state on this urgent matter. On the contrary, PMC and PCMC are dumping concrete and debris into the existing riverbeds,” he added.
He further said, “In addition, thousands of trees in the biodiverse riparian zones are slated to be axed, totally disregarding the ecological consequences. These illegal and unethical activities are going to drastically increase flooding in Pune. The government is using citizens’ money to endanger the health and lives of citizens, for the sole reason of financially benefiting some builders and contractors.”
ह्याने तर नदीपात्र अरुंद होते आहे. म्हणजे इथे फुगवटा तयार होवून पुढल्यावर्षी पुन्हा पुण्याला पुराचा धोका आहे.
— PuneriCitizen (@Sachinshaha) December 20, 2024
Amitraj Deshmukh, a volunteer with PRR and a resident of Kothrud, expressed, “We unequivocally term it as destructive, unjust, and in violation of the rights of rivers that the Indian legal system recognizes. The work we have witnessed and recorded has reduced the width of the river and has already caused huge damage to the biodiversity at the site. The reduced width will cause flooding events, as we have recently seen in Pune city. It is also important to note that this area is very much within the limits of PCMC on the left bank and PMC on the right bank.”
“One major impact will be on our fisher community, which has been living with the river, caring for it, and earning their just wages with the help of services provided by the river. The access to the river has been impacted badly due to ongoing work, which clearly is ongoing in the absence of legal flood lines. We as citizens are in shock that, with so many resources, under the watch of our legal system, why are administration authorities endangering their very own citizens and the ecology they depend upon? Is it that our administration wants to raise real estate by sacrificing our rivers?” he added.
Arati Mhaskar, a volunteer for Jeevitnadi, highlighted, “First revise and define flood lines. Any concrete pouring work should be outside flood lines. What work is done under the JICA project? Have all JICA projects been put in place? Or are every JICA project fully functional? Which project demands to reduce the riverbanks? Why are we inviting floods—such major questions?”
Controversial RFD Project
Dr. Priyadarshini Karve, from the Indian Network on Ethics and Climate Change (INECC), expressed, “Global warming has already impacted the monsoon cycle in India. Because of this, we have been experiencing episodes of extremely heavy rains and cloudbursts in and around Pune since the last decade or so. Every year there is a ‘record-breaking’ rainfall event or two. The frequency and intensity of these episodes will go on increasing with time. This is not an unexpected phenomenon. Scientists have been warning about this from the early 2000s. And yet urban planners have totally ignored all these warnings. Actually, urban planning in the past decade or so should have focused on increasing the water carrying capacity of the rivers of Pune.”
She added, “Pune city is at the base of a saucer-like arrangement of hills. With heavy rains in the hills, the water rushes down towards the city. If there is no space for this water to flow safely out of the city, this is bound to cause flooding. With unprecedented high rainfall in very short time durations, the extent of flooding becomes highly unpredictable and may extend into areas that have never experienced flooding before. The city saw this to a small extent in 2019. And yet the city administration is hell-bent on pushing the riverfront development project, which is going to constrict the width of riverbeds into narrow channels with much reduced water carrying capacity. Changing the name of the project to river rejuvenation is a blatant attempt to fool the citizens. But the name change cannot hide the scientific truth that this intervention in the rivers of Pune is going to further amplify the already increased flood risk due to climate change. Unfortunately, the city administration (political as well as bureaucratic) is more interested in the financial potential (both legitimate and under the table) of commercialization of the riverfront rather than the long-term safety and security of the citizens of Pune.”
Prajakta Mahajan, a member of PRR, highlighted, “People who visit the Mula-Ramnadi confluence can see the pristine, precious riparian forest here. It’s hard to believe that such lush greenery exists in the heart of our city. There’s no need to visit a hill station when we have this natural beauty right here. Unfortunately, this area is now falling victim to blatant environmental vandalism. In just 2-3 days, large-scale dumping has begun, choking these rivers in the name of a cosmetic promenade project. Rivers are not real estate—they require space to flow naturally. By constricting these rivers and altering Ramnadi’s course, we are not only destroying vital ecosystems but also increasing the risk of floods for nearby communities. Ironically, we are destroying these rivers under the guise of celebrating them. The consequences of these actions will be borne by future generations, and it’s a price we cannot afford to pay.”