Pune: Citizens to join hands to revive Ramnadi

PUNE: As many as 18 environmental organisations and 33 colleges in the city will come together to revive and restore Ramnadi, the first phase of which has already started.

The announcement was made on Thursday to mark the international day of action for rivers. The project has been initiated by Kirloskar Vasundhara, which organises an international environment film fest every year.



The phase one of the project will end in three years by the end of which the organisation expects to see a change in the way people treat the river and stop disposal of untreated waste into it.

“The river has been divided into 18 stretches with different priorities for each stretch. When colleges reopen in June, we will have a principals’ meeting. Colleges will also make their own plans to help. After a month, the basic action report will be made so that work can begin in an organised manner,” said Virendra Chitrav, director, Kirloskar Vasundhara International Film Festival, while addressing a news conference here.

Sachin Poonekar from Biosphere said that while the river was currently in a pathetic condition, there are still hopes of reviving it as the river in some stretches is still home to unique birds and fish.

Ketaki Ghate from Oikos, who was also present at the media briefing, spoke about the need to preserve the river’s ecosystem. “It is home to various ecosystems from its origin till its confluence with Mula. The ecosystem is still preserved in some parts, but it has been destroyed in majority areas. We need to repair this. Various plants in the riparian zones need to be protected for overall life of the river as it has various functions, including filtering of water,” she said.

Gurudas Nulkar from Ecological Society said that river and other water bodies play a major role in weather regulation. “If we are concerned about water security in Pune city, we cannot look at it in an isolated way but will have to start working from upper Bhima basin itself.”

Vinod Bodhankar, from Sagarmitra and Jal Biradari, spoke about the mission and how by the end of the first phase of three years, they hope to reach 5lakh people residing along the banks of Ramnadi and make them aware of their responsibilities towards the river.

“We will go to schools, colleges and households to achieve this target because citizens need to make the first effort by not dumping waste into the river and effectively help in keeping it pollution-free. The dissolved oxygen levels in the river currently is 2 parts per million, which needs to be at least 8 parts per million to call the river rejuvenated,” said Bodhankar.

Shailendra Patel from Jaldevata Seva Abhiyan said that river rejuvenation was a work in progress and even with Ramnadi, various programmes have already started.

“There is a need to keep pollution levels in check in the river and also make way for small streams and tributaries, which have either dried up or been encroached upon. We need to actively desilt these water bodies so that the natural stream of water is not obstructed.”