Kolhapur’s Environment Minister, Pankaja Munde, has called on local authorities and agencies involved with the Panchaganga river basin to accelerate the development of common effluent treatment plants (CETPs). This directive follows concerns over delays in projects designed to combat pollution in the river. The minister is seeking explanations for the holdups, emphasizing the need for immediate action to protect the river’s ecosystem and public health.
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“A report should be submitted within eight days after verifying the actual capacity and utilisation of CETPs and comparing the number of industries expected to use them against those actually doing so,” she said. Munde said Panchaganga would be given priority under the proposed River Rejuvenation Authority and directed that CETP construction, mechanisation and pipeline connectivity works be carried out simultaneously. Disposal of treated effluent, leakages during transport and illegal discharges must also be monitored effectively,” she said.
The meeting reviewed pollution from sewage and industrial effluents entering Panchaganga from Kolhapur city, Ichalkaranji and surrounding municipal and rural areas. Officials of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) presented details of the river’s pollution status. She also raised concerns over treated effluent re-entering the river through drains, agricultural land or unauthorised discharge points. “Monitoring should not be limited to treatment plant performance. The minister ordered physical verification of the operational capacity and utilisation of industrial effluent treatment plants across the state and instructed authorities to speed up completion of four ongoing sewage treatment plant projects being implemented by Kolhapur Municipal Corporation. Minister of state for urban development Madhuri Misal, MLAs Amal Mahadik and Rahul Awade, and senior officials of environment department and MPCB attended the meeting, while former MP Raju Shetti, Rajendra Patil Yadravkar and KMC commissioner Rajendra Bharud joined online. Download the TOI App.
At a review meeting held in Mumbai on Tuesday, Munde asked officials to submit a report on pending works and conduct a statewide assessment of CETPs in industrial clusters, sugar factories and other pollution-prone zones.