Residents of Mahalunge, Maan and Hinjewadi have urged Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil to investigate rising pollution in the Mula river, saying nearly 10,000 residential units are already facing water shortages and some housing societies are receiving poor-quality water.
The Mahalunge Township Residents’ Association submitted the letter to the minister on November 12. According to the association, several societies have been receiving yellowish and foul-smelling tap water since late September. Residents have sought immediate testing of river water both upstream and downstream of extraction points supplying Mahalunge and Blue Ridge Township.
The association has alleged that new residential projects are being permitted to install jackwells and extract water from the same river despite concerns over availability and quality. The letter calls for a review of fresh water extraction permissions and an investigation into possible discharge of untreated domestic sewage and industrial effluents into the river.
The residents have also asked the government to make water-quality reports public. Their demands include a comprehensive water balance study covering the river’s available supply, approved and actual extraction by residential projects, existing consumption and future demand in the area.
The association has further sought disclosure of water extraction permissions, permitted daily quantities and conditions imposed on projects to maintain the river’s minimum environmental flow. These details would show how much water is officially allocated, how much is being extracted and whether the river’s ecological requirements are being considered alongside urban demand.
The concerns arise in a rapidly developing residential and employment corridor where new housing projects and existing societies depend on local water sources. The letter does not establish the source of the reported discolouration or smell, nor does it provide test results confirming contamination. It asks the authorities to establish those facts through formal sampling and inspection.
Residents have requested a joint inspection involving the Water Resources Department, the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority, the Pune Municipal Corporation, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. They have also called for an assessment of possible sewage and industrial-effluent discharge into the Mula river.
The association’s demands place water extraction, river pollution and permissions for new residential development within the same administrative review. It has asked the government to examine whether current extraction approvals reflect the area’s existing consumption and future demand, and whether the required safeguards for minimum environmental flow are being enforced.
The next steps sought by residents are river-water testing, a joint inspection, publication of water-quality findings and a water balance study covering extraction and demand across Mahalunge, Maan and Hinjewadi.
