Pune: Residents of a large township in Hinjewadi have come together to crowdfund the removal of a thick layer of water lettuce choking the Mula river nearby, after repeated complaints to multiple authorities bore no fruit. They have spent around Rs2 lakh from their own pockets to do the job after no official paid heed to their pleas for at least two years.Aside from the stench and breeding grounds this blanket of weeds provides to disease vectors like mosquitoes, its presence has raised concerns about river water quality among residents. According to a Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) official TOI spoke to, the Blue Ridge Township — whose residents have taken up the cleaning activity — is one of 12-13 townships that pull water from the river in the authority’s jurisdiction. DO-IT-YOURSELF The exercise began in March, with 63-year-old Akash Bokade monitoring the removal on-site as around 12 workers and an earthmover began clearing water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) from the river. Pistia is a highly invasive, freshwater aquatic plant much like water hyacinth, forming dense mats. It clogs waterways, disrupts native ecosystems, and lowers oxygen levels. It also acts as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, increasing malaria and dengue risks.“We did a round of cleaning on March 21, then restarted on March 30, going on for four days. The river has turned green here, and no authority was doing anything to clean it. Frustrated, I started talking to units in our township to crowdfund money for cleaning,” said Bokade, a retired irrigation department official, adding, “The activity is costing so much as it is being done after so long. If maintenance is done every three months, it would cost Rs50,000.” Bokade had sent eight emails and handed letters in person on this issue to various authorities from March 2024 to March 2026, including PMRDA, Maharashtra Industries Development Corporation (MIDC) and late deputy CM Ajit Pawar. A letter was sent by the township’s A unit to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) in March 2024, and to various authorities in March this year, also marking the township’s developer. All these missives highlighted increased contamination behind growing water lettuce in the river. An official statement sent to TOI on behalf of the Blue Ridge Township’s developer said, “In a meeting of all stakeholders on April 4, including all managing committees of the township, it was mutually agreed to appoint a professional contractor to immediately take up clearing of water hyacinth. It is unfortunate that despite repeated requests to multiple govt authorities, there has been no on-ground support so far. What is currently visible in front of the Blue Ridge Township stretch is largely water lily accumulation. One of the key reasons for this build-up is the temporary earthen bund created during bridge construction, which remains in the riverbed and is restricting natural downstream flow. We have also highlighted this concern to the authorities, especially from a pre-monsoon preparedness perspective. We remain committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to jointly resolve this responsibly.” As the main coordinator, Bokade was supervising the task from 9am to 6pm each day. He was often accompanied by other residents, who made time from work shifts.IT professional Sandip Roy, who monitored work for five hours on March 31 with Bokade, said, “The stench is intolerable. Bokade is a retiree who has dedicated days to this issue. But the fact that a resident had to step up says a lot about the authorities. We pay taxes, buy expensive flats and then grapple with a polluted river. Ours is a temporary solution, govt and other authorities must find a permanent one.” The township comprises around 5,000 flats, housing some 15,000 residents of all age groups. UPSTREAM ORIGINSResident Dhananjay Jabade, an IT professional, pointed out that there is a check dam near the township, so all the sewage that flows down to them from upstream and the water lettuce gets clogged there. “The river is almost entirely covered by weeds. This excessive infestation has resulted in stagnation, oxygen depletion, and heavy accumulation of organic matter, severely degrading water quality,” Jabade told TOI. According to residents and Hinjewadi gram panchayat officials, absence of a sewage treatment plant (STP) upstream and outflow of waste into the river by societies in Maan, Marunji and other villages is one of the biggest contributors to growth of water lettuce. Hinjewadi gram panchayat sarpanch Ganesh Jambhulkar told TOI, “We have also written to PMRDA on this issue. Upstream villages pollute the river and there is no STP here.” But PMRDA chief engineer Rinaj Pathan countered, “While steps are being taken for comprehensive river pollution abatement, it is temporarily the gram panchayat’s responsibility to clear hyacinth.” MPCB Pune regional officer Babasaheb Kukade said, “If Hinjewadi has a problem with water lettuce and sewage, it will be due to discharge from villages upstream. We have held many drives and issued notices. But it is difficult to ascertain exactly how many societies are doing this, and how much domestic waste is discharged into the river. We have received complaints from Blue Ridge Township residents and the need for an STP here is high. Both PMRDA and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) have made a provision for a STP in development plans, but those will only be ready once funds are available.” This is not the first time residents have tried to clean up the river. In March, they also held a two-day drive and collected 422 bags of plastic and garbage from the Mula river. They also cleared the nullah of trash with the help of an earthmover. In the most recent letter to several authorities last month, residents requested immediate removal of water lettuce in the river. They asked authorities to conduct water quality testing (for E. coli, total coliforms, BOD, COD, etc.), undertake disinfection and treatment, establish a long-term monitoring and maintenance mechanism, and fix accountability for delays in addressing this issue. IT professional Anirudha Karandikar, who has lived in the township for three years, said, “The fear of how overgrowth affects the water we depend on is a constant. It is not letting the river breathe and this is a result of gross negligence. We should not wait for an emergency before a permanent solution is sought. It is neither fair nor sustainable for residents to perform these tasks, pointing to a systemic failure.” A statement from the Blue Ridge Township’s developer further said, “In this context, we also note the recent communication issued by the water resources department, which highlights concerns around debris accumulation in the river and its impact on natural flow. This further underscores the need for coordinated and timely action by all agencies concerned.”OFFICIALS SPEAKPMRDA is preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for pollution abatement of the Mula and Mutha rivers. While this is being done, the clearing of the hyacinth is the responsibility of the gram panchayat. It is on them to tackle the issue with some temporary measures — Rinaj Pathan | Chief engineer, PMRDALast year, I spent Rs1 lakh personally to clean hyacinth from the river under the gram panchayat limits. We have also written to PMRDA and spoken to the officials highlighting this issue. They keep saying they will look into it. Upstream villages like Maan and Marunji pollute the water and there is no STP here to treat this sewage. We are now contemplating hiring a machine to clean whatever we can. We will decide in the next few days — Ganesh Jambhulkar | Sarpanch, Hinjewadi gram panchayatWhether water is treated or not, all domestic waste can cause hyacinth or water lettuce to thrive. Domestic sewage should be treated and 60% of it reused. Only 40% can be released. But many societies and townships don’t do this. They release all sewage into the river, adding to pollution. The need for an STP here is high. Both PMRDA and PCMC have made a provision for one in their development plans, but those will only be ready once funds are available — Babasaheb Kukade | Regional officer, MPCB Pune
