Talks, protests, PILs: How resistance to Riverfront Development project flows through Pune

“We inactive consciousness that the RFD tin beryllium an ecological riverfront that uses definite bio-engineering methods. Because the scenery changes successful the municipality areas drastically with time, determination has to beryllium a exemplary wherever we compromise definite earthy elements but not to an grade that volition endanger the ecosystem,” adds Deshpande.

Legal challenges against Riverfront Development project

Protests against the RFD unfold implicit aggregate levels, from engaging the medication to marches to filing situation involvement litigations (EIL) astatine the National Green Tribunal (NGT). At present, determination is simply a nationalist involvement litigation (PIL) earlier the Bombay High Court against the amerciable demarcation of flood lines successful Pune metropolis improvement program maps.

Sarang Yadwadkar is among those who person taken the absorption to the courts. In January, helium knocked connected the doors of the NGT again, this clip against the biology clearance fixed by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority to the RFD.

“As acold arsenic the RFD is concerned, we request to recognize the concern successful Pune. It is precise peculiar compared to immoderate different city. Five rivers participate the city: Mula, Mutha, Pavana, Ramnadi and Devnadi. The past 2 are comparatively smaller rivers but bring successful h2o quickly. Flash floods hap successful some rivers. We person 7 dams upstream that are nearby. There are 4 dams connected the Mutha and 1 each connected Mutha and Pawana, isolated from the Kasarsai Dam,” says Yadwadkar.

“If determination is simply a cloudburst and these dams commencement releasing water, each that h2o volition participate the metropolis quickly, i.e. wrong 1 oregon 2 hours. All the rivers converge and, ultimately, person lone 1 outlet: the Mula Mutha River. So, our metropolis is astatine the cervix of the funnel. Water enters from 5 antithetic catchments, and determination is lone 1 outlet. That is simply a precise unsafe position; arsenic if we are sitting connected a unrecorded bomb,” helium adds.

In 2019, erstwhile the Ambil Odha, which is simply a tributary, suffered from a flash flood, astir 25 radical died. There was demolition to property, including houses. “Because each these rivers and their tributaries originate from the Sahyadris, their catchments are precise steep. Only erstwhile the h2o enters the metropolis bash the rivers commencement flowing comparatively slowly. The h2o enters the metropolis precise accelerated but flows retired slowly, which further increases this risk,” helium adds.

Delhi-based The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has projected an yearly summation successful rainfall successful Pune by 10-37.5 per cent betwixt the 2030s and 2070s. It predicted that the yearly rainfall would rise, but the fig of rainy days would besides decrease.

“This could pb to much predominant occurrences of cloudburst events. If determination is much postulation connected roads, municipality planners determine to widen the roads, so, if determination is much water, wherefore not widen the rivers?” asks Yadwadkar.

He adds, “Instead of widening, the RFD is narrowing the rivers by 40 per cent by dumping truckloads of debris successful the river. Any simplification successful the width volition pb to erosion successful the flood-carrying capableness of the river, which volition effect successful much predominant and terrible floods successful Pune metropolis successful future.

Cosmetic surgery, allege critics of RFD

For respective sceptics of the RFD plan, the contented is that the civic bodies are trying to decorate the stream with factual alternatively of prioritising cleaning the river. They are acrophobic astir the destiny of aquifers and existing biodiversity, among others. While respective citizens are opposed lone to implementing the RFD, Ameet Singh, an economist, is “completely against the project”.

Singh has fought the PMC before, peculiarly against histrion felling connected Ganeshkhind Road. Last year, the Bombay High Court instructed the PMC to halt cutting trees for roadworthy widening.

“The RFD is simply a blunder being perpetrated connected Pune’s radical by reclaiming Pune’s flood plains for a existent property drawback and a 30-metre wide road. Over 1,600 acres volition beryllium reclaimed crossed 44 km of the river’s length. Lakhs of trees and riparian forests volition beryllium decimated, and implicit 41 crore sq ft of caller existent property volition beryllium added to Pune’s already congested, polluted and breached municipality infrastructure. If we can’t respire cleanable air, portion axenic h2o and unrecorded successful a zero-garbage cleanable environment, what’s the constituent of this benignant of development?” asks Singh.

He points retired however “with the merchandise of astir 30,000 cusecs from Khadakwasla connected July 25, 2024, the bluish lines astatine astir places successful Pune were smudged and inundated with water”.

Singh says Maharashtra Engineering Research Institute present puts the h2o measurement to beryllium considered for redrawing the flood lines astatine 1,07,724 cusecs oregon astir treble the measurement of h2o from the older calculation, “There are accrued incidences of immense municipality flooding crossed Pune. Despite each of this, we proceed to dump debris and factual connected the stream slope and expect that Pune won’t flood,” helium says.

Scientist and lawyer Rajendra Kumar Kale says the Mula-Mutha stream strategy successful Pune is highly polluted owed to untreated sewage, concern effluents, and different pollutants. “Yet, the task appears to prioritise existent property improvement and municipality beautification implicit genuine ecological restoration. From my perspective, the captious issues with PMC’s stream rejuvenation task see its absorption connected existent property improvement alternatively than existent stream rejuvenation and neglect of contamination control,” helium says.

Kale says the DPR proposes arresting sewage inflows adjacent the rivers and diverting them to upcoming (and delayed) sewage attraction plants. “This attack risks legitimising the usage of earthy h2o streams arsenic unfastened sewage conduits. My statement is to execute pollution-free rivers; the enactment indispensable commencement astatine the source—by preventing sewage outfall into Pune’s 23 earthy h2o streams. This is some logical and legally mandated,” says Kale.

“Recreational infrastructure should travel lone aft contamination is addressed. This attack has been successfully adopted successful developed nations, specified arsenic Norway’s Akerselva stream restoration project. Building recreational facilities astir polluted rivers is neither logical nor sustainable,” adds Kale.