PUNE, 21 NOV. Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram's decision to ban bonfires in the city due to rising pollution is certainly a welcome step. However, this raises several questions. Does pollution in Pune stem only from bonfires? What about the dust particles spreading in the air due to potholes on the roads and construction activities? Does anyone pay attention to the state of the Mutha River, which runs through central Pune and only feels like a river during the monsoon, after the rains stop? What about the closed waste processing projects? This list of questions continues to grow. Therefore, it is time for Pune residents to light a 'mashal' (torch) against pollution.
Initiative Towards Curbing Pollution
Many people prefer to settle in Pune after retirement due to its pleasant weather, earning it the title of 'City of Pensioners'. Consequently, the air quality of Pune is deteriorating day by day, caused by various factors. As a remedial measure, the Municipal Commissioner has decided to ban the lighting of bonfires. At least one step has been taken towards pollution control, which is significant.
In housing societies, commercial complexes, and residential areas of the city, security personnel often light open bonfires to ward off the cold. In some areas, citizens also burn wood, garbage, or coal, which contributes to the rising air pollution in Pune. Hence, bonfires have been banned in the city. Burning coal, biomass, plastic, rubber, and other waste in these bonfires emits smoke, adding to the pollution. Now, if citizens dump waste in the open, punitive action will be taken by the Municipal Corporation's Solid Waste Management Department.
It has been observed that the smoke, carbon monoxide, and other harmful gases emitted from bonfires have a serious impact on the respiratory system, leading to asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Therefore, while the decision is correct, the question remains: is pollution caused only by bonfires?
Environmental Report Prepared Annually
The Pune Municipal Corporation prepares an Environmental Status Report every year. The 2024 report has also been published, providing information on the various causes of pollution and the measures being taken by the Municipal Corporation. However, while this report looks good on paper, the ground-level implementation is very low. Consequently, Pune's air quality continues to decline. The report provides information on Pune's air quality in 2024-25. Out of the 365 days in the year, how many were categorized as 'good'? Only 52 days. This number was 79 days in 2023-24. This means the remaining days were harmful for Pune residents to breathe freely. There were three days categorized as 'very poor', indicating that breathing was difficult for Pune residents on those days.
2400 Tons of Garbage Generated Daily
Around 2300 to 2400 tons of garbage is generated daily in Pune. Of this, 1300 to 1400 tons is plastic and paper waste, and the rest is wet garbage. However, the Municipal Corporation's capacity to process this waste is falling short. A new construction regulation was prepared in 2000, which mandated provisions for the disposal of wet waste. According to this, it became mandatory for societies and commercial establishments generating more than one hundred kilograms of wet waste daily to dispose of it on their premises. Consequently, projects were started in about two thousand large societies and commercial establishments. However, the Municipal Corporation failed to monitor whether these projects were operational. The Municipal Corporation has now realized that approximately 400 to 500 small projects for processing wet waste are lying closed. This indicates that the Municipal Corporation neglected the pollution caused by wet waste.
Mutha River Pollution Increases
The Mutha River, which flows through the central part of Pune, only runs full during the monsoon. After that, its condition becomes unbearable. The river area is filled with foul odour due to sewage water and garbage, which also contributes to pollution. Chemical components in the river water are adversely affecting the aquatic ecosystem. Although the Municipal Corporation has undertaken the riverfront improvement project, the work is facing numerous obstacles.
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