School children have done it though. Following is a press coverage from The Times of India, Pune edition.

TOI/PUNE/19th Feb ‘09: In a bid to spread environmental awareness among students and citizens, 20 schools in Pimpri-Chinchwad will soon be engaged in environment monitoring. The schools will also monitor and make observations about weather on a regular basis.

The decision to involve schools in environmental awareness comes after resolutions were taken at the science congress which was organised last week by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, Khagol Vishwa (an organisation for amateur astronomers) the Rotary Club and SNBP school. The theme of the event was ideal city environment’, and the organisers decided to undertake activities which would help create awareness about environment protection and weather changes.

According to Mayuresh Prabhune of Khagol Vishwa, the schools will monitor pollution of the Pavana river and undertake activities to stop pollution with the help of the municipal corporation and other social groups.

In order to monitor environmental pollution, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board has two monitoring stations, one in Pimpri-Chinchwad’s industrial area and the second in the residential area. Prabhune said that the MPCB would be requested to start more such centres.

The schools will also monitor weather conditions with the help of the India Meteorological Society. At present, the municipal corporation itself monitors the maximum and minimum temperatures and the rainfall. There is also a plan to form a science club which will undertake various activities. Information about the environment and the weather conditions will be collected and analysed, Prabhune said.

The science congress received an overwhelming response from students and citizens alike. Exhibitions, and lectures by eminent experts were organised during the four-day event.

[source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Pune/20-schools-to-take-up-environment-monitoring/articleshow/4152222.cms]

Trees on Varsity Campus Saved from Axe:

On another note, for the campus makeover of University of Pune, the road widening planhas been withdrawn to save trees being axed.

Read the complete coverage here.

Speaking to TOI, municipal commissioner Ashish Sharma said that a detailed project report on water recycling has already been prepared. This report will soon be submitted to the Union government so that the corporation can implement the project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

According to Sharma, the corporation is looking at providing 120 MLD treated sewage water for industrial use from its various sewage treatment plants including the one at Kasarwadi. “We will be able to provide water at competitive rates. The location of the STP at Kasarwadi is convenient for providing water in the industrial belt of Bhosari and Pimpri,” he said.

The PCMC is also looking at power generation from sewage treatment plants, though the plan is in the initial stage, Sharma said.

As part of the works to be completed under JNNURM, the PCMC has completed the work of construction of four sewage treatment plants at Pimpale Nilakh, Chinchwad, Ravet and Kasarwadi. At Kasarwadi, the corporation already has one plant of 40 MLD capacity which is functional. Another plant of the same capacity is being built there. The other STPs that are functional include Chinchwad (30 MLD), Pimpale Nilakh (20 MLD), and Chikhli (32 MLD). The PCMC proposes to start more STPs at Akurdi (30 MLD), Ravet (20 MLD), Chinchwad (30 MLD) and Charholi (21 MLD).

Incidentally, district guardian minister Ajit Pawar had asked the PCMC to undertake water recycling projects on a large scale. His suggestion had come at a function in May last year when he laid the foundation stone for the Rs 400-crore ambitious project of laying a direct pipeline from Pavana dam to Ravet to meet the water supply needs of the twin township. He had pointed out that the Pavana river, from where PCMC draws nearly 340 MLD water for drinking purposes, gets highly polluted from Chinchwad onwards, due to release of domestic and industrial effluents from the twin township.

Meanwhile, welcoming the increased allocation for JNNURM projects in the interim Union budget, Sharma said that the municipal corporation wants to focus on the Pavana river improvement project. Similarly, development of two temples along the Pavana river banks the Moraya Gosavi Samadhi temple in Chinchwadgaon and the Jhulelal temple in Pimpri, as heritage structures, is top priority. The PCMC also wants to start work on stormwater drainage and nullahs, he said.

Regarding works related to BRTS which are to be funded under JNNURM, Sharma said the PCMC has received sanction for four routes. The PCMC, he said, wants to complete the Nashik phata flyover on top priority. The work, which is funded under JNNURM, is estimated to incur an expenditure of over Rs 90 crore. The corporation has already floated tenders for the work, he added.

[source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Pune/PCMC-planning-to-step-up-water-recycling/articleshow/4152204.cms]