India signs a loan agreement with Japan to clean river Mula Mutha in Pune

NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday signed a loan agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for pollution abatement of river Mula Mutha in Pune by January, 2022.

Under the agreement, the government of Japan committed to provide a soft loan of 19.064 billion Yen (about Rs. 1000 crore) to India for the project at an interest rate of 0.30% per annum.

The major components proposed under the project include construction of 11 new Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), which will result in a creation of an additional treatment capacity of 396 million litre per day (MLD) over the existing treatment capacity of 477 MLD, laying of 113.6 kms of sewer lines and renovation/rehabilitation of 4 existing intermediate pumping stations.

Once the project is completed by January 2022, the total STP capacity available in Pune will be 873 MLD, which will be sufficient to cater to sewage generation for the year 2027.

The project also includes installation of a system for centralized monitoring of functioning of STPs, construction of 24 units of community toilet facilities in slum and fringe areas, public participation and awareness programme, GIS mapping of sewerage facilities for better asset management.

The Mula Mutha river is one of the 302 polluted river stretches of the country identified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The major reasons for pollution of Mula Mutha are discharge of untreated domestic waste water into the river due to inadequate sewerage system (including pumping stations) & sewage treatment capacity in the town, as well as open defecation on the river banks.