Kolhapur: The Pollution Control Board on Thursday issued notices to seven Gram Panchayats, including Kolhapur and Ichalkaranji Municipal corporations, asking why action should not be taken against them for causing pollution in the Panchganga river. On May 14, a joint inspection found that sewage from the jurisdiction of these two municipal corporations and seven Gram Panchayats was directly mixed into the Panchganga River without treatment. S. Salunkhe, Regional Officer, Pollution Control Board has issued the notices and has been given seven days to respond to them.
A petition has been filed in the High Court regarding the pollution of Panchganga, and Dilip Desai of Prajatantra Samajik Sanstha has demanded that the facts be revealed in this regard. Accordingly, officials of the Revenue and Pollution Control Board conducted the inspection. In Kolhapur, Ichalkaranji, Karveer, Shirol, and Hatkanangle Talukas, where sewage flows directly into the river, Panchama was conducted. It is on the basis of this Panchama that these notices have been issued under Section 33 of the Water Pollution Control Act, 1974.
In the past too, Panchnamas have been conducted on Panchganga pollution due to the concerns of social organizations. In the past too, notices have been issued to municipal corporations and gram panchayats. In the meantime, the pollution control board has rejected the proposal of Rs 252 crore sent by the Zilla Parishad, and efforts will have to be made to raise funds again.
18 million liters of water from Ichalkaranji enters the river without treatment
On May 14, it was revealed that 20 million liters of treated and 18 million liters of untreated sewage were being discharged into the Panchganga River from the jurisdiction of Ichalkaranji Municipal Corporation. The Municipal Corporation's STP plant had been shut since the night of May 13 due to a lack of power. Domestic and industrial effluents, which are black and yellow, from different parts of Ichalkaranji, mix with the Panchganga. It has been observed that water with toxic lather is flowing from the Terwad dam. This has been mentioned in the notice.
Gram Panchayats ResponsibleSeven Gram Panchayats in Karvir Taluka are among the Gram Panchayats that have been issued notices. These include Panchgaon, Kalamba, Uchgaon, Chinchwad, Gadmudshingi, Valiwade, and Gandhinagar Gram Panchayats. Untreated black sewage from the jurisdiction of these Gram Panchayats is directly mixed with the Panchganga River. The Gram Panchayats have not set up water treatment plants. They also have not suggested any solution to address the issue. Therefore, these Gram Panchayats have been blamed for not taking concrete measures to address water pollution from their jurisdiction. A copy has also been sent to the Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Parishad.
Kolhapur Municipal Corporation responsible as well
Black sewage is constantly mixed with the Panchganga from the garbage-rich Jayanti drain. The drain coming from near Khanvilkar Petrol Pump, the sewage mixed with the back side of Vishwakarma Society, the sewage from Siddharthnagar and the drain of CPR are discharged directly into the river without treatment. A garbage drain with black sewage from Chhatrapati Colony has been mixing with the river near Rajaram Barrage. The notice sent to the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation has mentioned all the issues.
"It is a fact that untreated sewage from 40 villages under the Zilla arishad is also responsible for the pollution of the Panchganga river. Therefore, considering the population of these villages, discussions are going on about what measures to take to treat sewage in that village. There is also a need to ensure that the burden of this measure does not fall on the gram panchayats at large. A definite policy will be decided soon." - Karthikeyan S. Chief Executive Officer, Zilla Parishad, Kolhapur