The Times of India              01.11.2013 

KMC starts constructing bunds at the nullahs, treating facility at bund site

KOLHAPUR: The Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC), taking cognizance of directions by the Bombay high court over the issue related to the pollution of the Panchaganga, has started constructing porous rock bunds on the major nullahs for primary treatment of sewage as short-term measures.

The ToI had on October 8 reported that sewage was flowing into the river water without being treated as the lifting pumps at the Jayanthi nullah were not functional.

The rock bunds are being constructed on Rajhans nullah, Ramanmala nullah, Rajaram bridge nullah, Line Bazaar nullah and Jamdar Club nullah. These are restricting the sewage water to flow into the river and are filtering the sewage through these porous bunds. The facility for chlorination of the restricted water using bleaching powder has been installed at the bund sites.

KMC environment engineer R K Patil said, "The rock bunds are constructed at two places on these nullahs at the portion close to the river stream. The bunds decrease the sediment content of the sewage and the speed in which the waste flows into the river."

There are 12 major and minor nullahs flowing through the city. "We will construct such bunds on the other nullahs as a short-term measure to curb the river pollution. The employees from the sanitation department have been deployed at the bunds for frequent removal of the sediments," added Patil.

The high court, while hearing the case of a petition filed by the people from the Ichalkaranji situated at the downstream of the river stretch had directed the KMC to take the immediate steps to stop the sewage entering the river.

Labour leader Datta Mane, Sada Malabade and eight others had filed a PIL (number 183/2012) demanding action to clean up the river and award compensation to those who were diagnosed with jaundice in 2012 in Ichalkaranji. The water-borne disease was caused due to the pollution in the river.

The ToI had reported that due to the non-functioning of the lifting pumps at the Jayanthi and other nullahs, untreated water was directly discharged into the river posing danger to the lives of people living in the downstream villages.

"We have also started construction of pumping houses at Jayanthi nullah, Bapat Camp nullah and Dudhali nullah to lift sewage to the new sewage treatment plants at Kasba Bawda and Dudhali. The facilities will become fully functional by April next year," Patil said.