Maharashtra: Frequent toxic foam in Indrayani river worries residents of temple town

PUNE: The residents of the temple town of Alandi have raised an alarm over repeated formation of toxic foam on the Indrayani river, attributing it to the release of untreated waste from housing societies and industrial effluents.
Arjun Medankar, an activist from Alandi pursuing the issue with the authorities, told TOI, "Earlier, the foam would appear twice or thrice a year. But this year, it is seen almost every fortnight, posing a risk to the health. The authorities need to take corrective measures to stop the pollution."
The residents claimed that despite raising the issue, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and Alandi Municipal Council were yet to pay heed to it.
Vilas Kate, a lawyer-activist from the area, said, "Hundreds of devotees take a holy dip in the river. A few also perform the rituals of the last rites. The issue is not only about pollution but also about people's faith and devotion."
Amid the rising pollution, the incidents of fish dying have also been reported repeatedly, the residents said.
Ankush Jadhav, the chief officer of the civic council, said, "We have been urging the PCMC authorities to set up sewage treatment plants (STPs) to prevent pollution. The Alandi Municipal Council has decided to set up an STP of 4.2MLD capacity. We have made land available to the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran, the executing agency in the town, to address the water pollution issue to some extent."
Sanjay Kulkarni, head of the environment section of the PCMC, said, "The civic body has prepared a detailed project report on the STPs. The river is getting polluted at multiple locations due to development in Lonavla, Talegaon Dabhade and Dehu." The MPCB officials did not respond to phone calls and text messages till going to the press.