Pawan Kalyan unveils ‘clean Godavari’ Pushkarams action plan

Vijayawada: Deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan on Friday unveiled the “Clean Godavari – Sacred Pushkarams” action plan to make the River Godavari clean and effluent-free and to ensure devotees took a holy dip in pristine Godavari water during the sacred Godavari Pushkarams. He directed officials to take comprehensive measures to prevent sewage, industrial effluents and aquaculture waste from entering the river.As part of the initiative, the govt has identified 262 Pushkar panchayats across six districts and instructed officials to transform them into sewage-free villages before the commencement of the Pushkarams.Chairing a high-level review meeting with panchayat raj and rural development department, forest and environment department and the PCB officials on Friday, Pawan Kalyan stressed the need for a coordinated action plan to protect the sanctity of the Godavari.According to PCB estimates, the Godavari is receiving nearly 104 million litres of municipal sewage, 8.38 million litres of rural wastewater, 32 million litres of industrial effluents from Andhra Paper Mills, and 13.24 million litres of aquaculture-related waste every day. It mentioned that the pollution levels in the river basin have reached alarming proportions, posing a threat to public health and the environment.To address rural sewage management, Pawan Kalyan directed officials to construct magic drains, community soak pits and individual household twin pits under various government schemes. He also ordered the formation of dedicated monitoring teams to ensure that wastewater from drains and canals does not flow directly into the river.Expressing concern over untreated municipal sewage being discharged into the Godavari River by urban local bodies, including Rajamahendravaram, Tanuku, Bhimavaram, Narasapuram and Kovvur, Pawan instructed municipalities to establish sewage treatment plants (STPs) based on their respective capacities and ensure that wastewater is treated before being released into the river.Pawan also instructed ULBs and officials to utilise funds from the Rs 100 crore sanctioned by the PCB, along with Swachh Andhra and other available resources, to implement pollution-control measures in a phased manner.Pawan Kalyan also directed PCB officials to intensify inspections of industries located in the Godavari basin and ensure the installation of modern effluent treatment systems. Industries have been asked to enhance green cover and adopt stricter environmental safeguards.Further, Pawan proposed establishing an RTGS-style control room to facilitate round-the-clock monitoring of sewage treatment, waste disposal and industrial pollution along the river basin. He said the proposed control room should be equipped with CCTV-linked monitoring screens to track sewage treatment and industrial waste management in real time. The responsibility for operating the facility will be entrusted to the state-level Environmental Protection Task Force, which has been constituted to curb pollution in major rivers.