Pune: Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has identified four industrial units along Pavana River for allegedly discharging untreated effluent and calculated environmental damage compensation (EDC) of more than Rs 2.56 crore against them.The findings were submitted before National Green Tribunal (NGT) in an ongoing case on pollution in Pavana, filed by city-based activist Krunnal Gharre.According to an MPCB affidavit, EDC of Rs 1.71 crore has been calculated against one unit, while the other three face proposed compensation of Rs 62 lakh, Rs 20 lakh and Rs 3 lakh, respectively.A senior MPCB official said the compensation was calculated in compliance with NGT’s April 6, 2026, order, which directed pollution control officials to establish the period during which the four units allegedly discharged untreated effluent into the river and calculate the EDC.“The units were allegedly found to have contributed to pollution between 2024 and 2026,” said the official.“During a visit by our officials in July, two of the four units were again found to be non-compliant despite having received earlier notices. The process of calculating additional EDC against them has been initiated, and the details will be submitted to the NGT in the ongoing case,” the official added.NGT has directed that all four companies be impleaded in the case and said that any EDC should be imposed only after they are given an opportunity to present their case.The case stems from a petition alleging that authorities, including Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), MPCB and rural bodies such as Zilla Parishad, have failed to take adequate measures to curb pollution in Pavana.Pavana was among the country’s identified polluted river stretches in 2024 and was placed in Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Priority I category. The river flows through Pimpri Chinchwad and is the city’s primary source of drinking water, making its pollution a major concern for residents and civic authorities.PCMC has proposed a river rejuvenation plan, but a lack of funds has emerged as a major hurdle. State govt has informed NGT that funds are unavailable and that the project cannot be covered under the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP), leaving PCMC to make its own financial arrangements.NGT proceedings have also highlighted gaps in sanitation infrastructure in villages along the river. Several villages in the rural stretch reportedly lack proper waste-management systems and sewage treatment plants, while some do not have kitchen-garden, soak-pit or leach-pit systems, adding to the pollution load.In its latest affidavit, Zilla Parishad submitted an update on work to install kitchen-garden and soak-pit/leach-pit systems in 20 villages along Pavana. Work has been completed in 11 villages, while work in three others is expected to be completed within four weeks. Hard-rock conditions and land-related issues have delayed the work in three villages, while PMRDA is expected to take it up in the remaining three.
