Thousands of residents in large housing townships near Pune’s Hinjewadi IT Park are relying on water drawn from the polluted Mula river, with complaints of yellow-coloured tap water prompting the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to begin action against multiple agencies and identify missing sewage treatment infrastructure as a key cause.
Residents of Park Titan, Blue Ridge and other townships said they had no municipal pipeline connection or reliable alternative water source. Private tankers, they said, could not meet the large daily demand from the high-density developments. Park Titan has about 3,500 flats and houses an estimated 10,000-12,000 people, while Blue Ridge has around 5,000 flats and about 17,000 residents.
Ravi Pawar, a Park Titan resident, said builders had received permission several years ago to draw water directly from the river, when its condition was better. Residents now describe the river as heavily polluted and allege that repeated complaints over the past three years have not produced a lasting solution.
The most visible problem has been discoloured water from household taps. Residents of Blue Ridge said the yellow-water issue, which usually appeared in December or January, began in late September this year. They said the problem continued despite township filtration systems and individual treatment units. Residents also reported total dissolved solids levels of around 500, although the report did not specify the testing method or the applicable standard.
Residents have attributed the pollution to untreated sewage, industrial effluents and garbage entering the river. They also alleged that a sewage treatment plant operated by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation was not functioning. Other complaints included open dumping and waste burning near the riverbanks. Residents reported seeing dead fish along the Blue Ridge stretch in September and an oily film on the river surface. One resident also recalled bloodworms being found in tap water in January 2024.
The issue came under renewed attention after Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray visited the affected river stretch on Sunday and demanded immediate intervention. Residents said they had previously approached the gram panchayat, MPCB, Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority and the irrigation department. A silent march in 2024, protests and social-media campaigns had also failed to resolve the problem, according to the residents.
MPCB officials met residents on Tuesday and inspected the river stretch and other locations identified as possible pollution sources. A senior board official said notices had been issued to multiple stakeholders, including PMRDA, gram panchayats and MIDC. The official said appropriate action would be initiated and that a meeting with the district collector was scheduled later in the week to coordinate with PMRDA, MIDC, gram panchayats and other government agencies.
The MPCB official said a major part of the pollution was linked to the absence of sewage treatment facilities in several villages along the river. Untreated sewage from these settlements is released directly into the Mula, the official said. According to the board, PMRDA has planned sewage treatment plants for the villages to prevent further discharge of untreated wastewater. The district-level meeting and the proposed treatment infrastructure are the next stated steps in addressing the water crisis.
