Activist Sarang Yadwadkar took to X (formerly Twitter) and slammed the administration for turning a blind eye to the dumping of construction debris in the riverbed.
"I am at Mula-Mutha confluence, Pune. Massive const. debris dumped right on the riverbed. And they say flood levels will recede. They say rivers will be rejuvenated. Government is killing the rivers at the cost of floods & pristine biodiversity. GOD, SAVE PUNE," Yadwadkar wrote.
Meanwhile, netizens called on the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to take immediate action.
"This is outrageous. I think all the construction material of the redevelopment of buildings is carelessly dumped here and the municipal commissioner is blind. It will all lead to a calamity, but who cares? Certainly not @PMCPune and @AjitPawarSpeaks," commented a user.
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"The same thing happens near Mundhwa Bridge. The riverbed is being encroached on by putting debris, and land is used by private players. Not sure if this is legal or not," another user stated.
Check out the reactions below:
This comes only a day after hundreds of fish were found dead in the Mula River. The fish deaths were also attributed to untreated sewage and effluent discharge, along with the Naidu sewage treatment plant (STP)’s malfunction, which might have released untreated sewage as well.
Environmental experts have consistently recommended that any true river rejuvenation must begin with stopping pollution at its source, ensuring proper sewage treatment, and protecting riparian forests. Without these steps, cosmetic beautification projects risk turning the river into a lifeless canal.
"Despite repeated appeals, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has shown no visible urgency to address the untreated sewage and industrial effluents that are choking the river’s ecosystem. Water quality remains critically poor, with dangerously low oxygen levels likely to have caused the large-scale fish kill. Despite the river having a good water level due to the rainy season and inflows from the live streams, this fish kill occurred. This underscores the dangerously high level of pollution," said Prajakta Mahajan, a volunteer at Pune River Revival.
