Riverfront or river death? SANDRP warns of ecosystem collapse

 

The environmental advocacy group South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP) has published a hard-hitting analysis of Pune's ongoing River Front Development (RFD) project, framing its concerns around fundamental questions that challenge the project's technical, ecological, and legal foundations.

In a report titled "Unravelling Pune River Front Development: The Five Questions," SANDRP states that "experts and researchers flag various faults with this riverfront development." 

Are the Flood Values Correct?

The most important question raised by SANDRP goes to the heart of the project's flood-risk calculations: "Whether Flood Values considered are correct? Water Resources Department has certain guidelines for demarcation of flood lines." 

This concern is backed by independent technical analysis. A comparative chart of flood-discharge values used in the RFD project versus those of the state Water Resources Department (WRD) reveals stark discrepancies. For the Mula-Mutha confluence, the RFD project uses a 100-year flood figure of 4,760.89 cubic metres per second (cumec), while the WRD's figure is 12,868.80 cumec — a gap of more than 170%. 

Critics say the project consultant failed to account for peak spillway discharges from the seven upstream dams and surface runoff from the free catchment area between the dams and the city — both mandatory under WRD norms. The confluence effect, where colliding river momentums slow flow and cause upstream afflux, has also been ignored. 

Ecological Devastation

Beyond flood maths, SANDRP and allied experts warn that the project is destroying the very river it claims to rejuvenate. The completed work on priority stretches has "destroyed riparian forests and riverine habitats," affecting "native trees, natural undergrowth, bird habitats, and both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems." 

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) plans to replant 45,000 trees, but environmentalists caution that plantations cannot replace natural riparian ecosystems. "Riparian species naturally come on the riverbank, which is the difference between a natural forest and a plantation," notes Shailaja Deshpande of Jeevitnadi Foundation. "A plantation will not support aquatic life... The interdependent food chain between land and water will not exist." 

Sewage Treatment Gap

The project promises clean rivers, yet the sewage treatment infrastructure remains critically inadequate. Pune generates 1,634 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage. Even after the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) STP project is completed, an estimated 629 MLD of untreated sewage will still enter the rivers. 

"None of the STPs in Pune are functioning according to the Central Pollution Control Board standards," Deshpande adds. 

Legal and Procedural Lapses

The project has faced repeated legal challenges. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) previously directed PMC to amend its environmental clearance and halted tree felling, yet work continued on multiple stretches. An amended clearance granted in 2024 was also challenged. 

Activists have also pointed out contradictions between the Detailed Project Report and the Environment Impact Assessment — for instance, the DPR states the riverbed will be deepened by 2 metres, while the EIA claims it will not. 

A Warning from Ahmedabad

The report comes as Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Riverfront — the model that inspired Pune's design — was submerged during monsoon this year. A TERI report has warned that Pune will face increasingly intense rainfall in coming years. 

With 80% of the priority stretch already completed and the project cost estimated at ₹4,727 crore, SANDRP's five questions arrive at a critical juncture — asking whether Pune is building a riverfront or merely paving over a disaster.