Pune: PMC’s standing committee on Friday approved a plan to upgrade six sewage treatment plants (STPs) located along the Mula and Mutha rivers at various locations. After the upgrade, the collective treatment capacity of the facilities will increase to 451 million litres per day (MLD) from their existing capacity of 362 MLD — a rise of 89 MLD. The cost of the work is Rs1,859 crore, which includes Rs1,223 crore for actual work and other expenses of Rs636 crore. The project will be implemented under the hybrid annuity model (HAM) in a public-private partnership. Of the six STPs, two at Narveer Tanaji Wadi and Bhairoba Nala will undergo a complete reconstruction, while the remaining four at Bopodi, Erandawane, Naidu Hospital, and Vitthalwadi will have a technology upgrade. There is a plan to install disc filters at the STPs to make the water purer. Sources in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) said approval for the proposal has come ahead of the upcoming civic polls, as the announcement of the election schedule is expected anytime. The administration has been working on the technical aspects of the proposal for the last few days. The project will receive funding from the govt under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (Amrut) scheme. The upgrade of STPs will help PMC improve sewage treatment. Civic activists have been complaining that STPs are not functioning at full capacity, which is leading to the release of untreated water into the river. Even the farmers are not happy with the poor quality of water released from STPs. Apart from the augmentation of six STPs, the civic administration is also constructing 11 new STPs under the Mula Mutha Pollution Abatement Project. Nod for new WTP in Wadgaon for Rs180 croreThe civic administration’s standing committee also issued approval for a new water treatment plant (WTP) to be constructed at Wadgaon water works, with a capacity of 125 MLD. PMC will spend around Rs180 crore for the said construction. Pothole-free roads campaign from next week PMC is launching a pothole-free roads campaign from the first week of Nov. Municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said that the campaign plans to repair all potholes in the city. The road department and ward offices will work together on the activity.
