Mumbai: After a survey by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) found 55 rivers in Maharashtra as polluted, the state government on Tuesday decided to set up Maharashtra State River Rejuvenation Authority (MSRRA), an authority responsible for the sustainable rejuvenation of rivers in the state.
In a presentation to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis regarding the state of rivers in Maharashtra, environment minister Pankaja Munde proposed to constitute MSRRA, a body that would be responsible for coming up with an action plan for treating the polluted rivers and its implementation. The authority would be tasked with approving a detailed project report (DPR), river basin management plan for river rejuvenation, resolving problems related to encroachment, power, land acquisition and more, said Munde.
The state Environment Department also made a priority-wise list of the polluted rivers in the state, based on their Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels. A few rivers which topped the list include Mithi (50 mg/L), Surya (11 mg/L), Bhatsa (10 mg/L), Kalu (8 mg/L), Ulhas (4 mg/L) and Vaitarana (4 mg/L).
One of the main reasons for the pollution is the release of untreated sewage into the rivers. Out of 9,190 million litres of sewage generated each day, 4,928 million litres get treated, whereas the rest 4,262 million litres are released into the rivers, the department said.
MSRRA, the body responsible for the rejuvenation of rivers, is set to be chaired by the chief minister Fadnavis, while the environment minister Munde will be its vice-chairman. Parallely, a state-level executive committee will be functioning under the chairmanship of Munde, which will include technical experts, financial and legal advisors, the member secretary of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and experts from prestigious institutions like Bombay IIT.