‘Pune River Revival’ is a passionate team for the citizens’ movement to revive and rejuvenate Pune rivers. The team is led by passionate residents, activists and dedicated ecologists.
Amid the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly elections, the team organised a meeting on Sunday at Vaghacha Ghat, Aundh, and released a people’s manifesto to highlight that they will vote for the candidate who will meet their demands. They want Pune to become a city of healthy rivers and zero-carbon water management.
Their manifesto announced some ambitious plans to transform Pune into a model for sustainable water management and river health.
‘We pledge our votes to candidates who commit to safeguarding our rivers, trees and hills’
Prajakta Mahajan, a resident of Wakad said, “We recognise that many people vote based on caste, religion, or economic status. However, regardless of your background—be it caste, religion, wealth, or poverty—we all share a need for clean air and water. Let’s make these essentials a priority in our city’s election manifesto. We pledge our votes to candidates who commit to safeguarding our rivers, trees and hills.”
“In Pune, our rivers have deteriorated into sewage channels. Only 30% of our waste is treated, with the remainder being discharged untreated into these rivers. Our focus must be on restoring these rivers, preserving the riparian zones, and keeping the banks free from waste. We reject the so-called ‘Riverfront Development’ that leads to environmental destruction. What we want is true river rejuvenation,” Mahajan added.
Another member of the group, Angad Patwardhan, said, “There is no civilization without a supportive ecology, and so when we talk about protecting the environment we are actually talking about protecting our own present and future. It’s no wonder that environmental issues have become very important in this election, as we are all experiencing ecological degradation around us every day.”
“We appeal to voters to take a stand for Pune’s ecology and vote for the candidate who commits on public video to scrapping the RFD project, as well as cleaning up and naturally rejuvenating the rivers. We also want the ‘dangerous’ proposed projects on Vetal Tekdi to be scrapped and deleted from Pune’s DP. With thousands of crores of rupees involved, the only real purpose of all these projects is to increase the profits of builders and contractors, and politicians and bureaucrats who are hand-in-glove with them, but they are a danger to Punekars’ health and lives,” Patwardhan added.
This is a public event organised in association with , Jeevitnadi, Vetal Tekdi Bachav Kruti Samiti, National Society for Clean Cities and many other eco-conscious organisations. https://t.co/lf5ZUaLBSY
— Pune River Revival (@PuneRivers) November 12, 2024
Demands raised:
Timely JICA project completion – Publicly transparent and deadline-focused.
Citizen-expert sewage panel – Recommendations for comprehensive sewage solutions.
Strict water checks for new builds – Scientific reports to guide water availability and building permits.
Pause riverbank project – Delay until 100% sewage treatment can be achieved.
Environmental review of riverbank plans – Address regulatory objections with scientific amendments.
Citywide rainwater harvesting and solar power – Begin with government buildings, and expand to private.
End private wells – Metred water use and incentives for rainwater recharge.
Carbon water and sewage – Shift Pune’s water management to solar energy to cut emissions.
Preserve riverbank heritage – Protect Pune’s riverbanks as recognised heritage sites.
Promote river research – Encourage studies on Pune’s rivers, covering environmental and socio-cultural dimensions.
Restore river springs – Revitalise natural springs for public awareness and benefit.
Enforce pollution control – Implement CPCB’s recommendations to reduce pollution swiftly.
Advocate for Pune – Represents Pune’s environmental needs in government planning.
Conserve amid climate change – Proactively safeguard Pune’s resources to adapt to climate shifts.
