Mumbai, April 1 (IANS) Maharashtra Environment and Climate Change Minister Pankaja Munde on Wednesday said the state has proposed an annual allocation of Rs 400 crore for the Maharashtra State River Rejuvenation Authority (MSRRA) as part of a Rs 2,000 crore corpus planned over five years to address river pollution and rejuvenation.

“The Authority will monitor all schemes related to river pollution and will be supported through state funds as well as funds from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and other sources. We are looking at a decade-long plan, but we will set targets for the first three years to demonstrate visible change,” Munde said.

The amount for 2026-27 is proposed to be raised through supplementary demands in the upcoming monsoon session of the state legislature. In addition to the corpus, the authority will draw financial support from MPCB funds, corporate social responsibility (CSR) contributions, and international funding agencies, an official from the state environment and climate change department said.

Munde said the MSRRA will function as an apex body integrating regulatory and developmental roles to tackle river pollution and undertake basin-level rejuvenation. It will approve Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) and river basin management plans, while ensuring coordination among multiple departments involved in water resources, urban development, rural development, and industry.

The authority will be chaired by the Chief Minister, with the environment minister serving as deputy chairperson, and will include key ministers such as finance, water resources, urban development, industries, and rural development.

A State Executive Committee headed by the environment minister will oversee implementation, monitor projects, and issue directions to executing agencies. Officials said the authority will address bottlenecks such as land acquisition, encroachments, power supply, and contractual issues through high-level coordination, with periodic reviews to ensure timelines and outcomes are met.

Munde said the MSRRA will also integrate technical expertise from institutions such as the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), while agencies like MITRA will help mobilise international funding.

The MSRRA will receive 10 per cent of the royalty accrued to the state from sand excavation in riverbeds, which was approved by the state Cabinet on Wednesday, she said.

Highlighting the scale of the problem, officials said Maharashtra has 55 of the country’s most polluted river stretches — the highest among states — based on biological oxygen demand (BOD) levels. Rivers such as the Godavari, Bhima (Chandrabhaga), Indrayani, Mula, Mutha, and Nag will be taken up on priority.

“We may prioritise the Godavari as the Kumbh is approaching,” Munde said, adding that the authority will work on the lines of the Centre’s Namami Gange programme, which focuses on rejuvenation from a river’s origin to its outfall.

She said DPRs for projects aimed at reducing pollution will be finalised first, and ongoing river-cleaning initiatives will also be brought under the authority’s purview to ensure convergence and avoid duplication of efforts.

Officials noted that fragmented implementation and limited financial and technical capacity at the local level have hindered past efforts, particularly in rural areas, necessitating a unified command structure like the MSRRA.

The authority will also facilitate coordination with the MPCB for regulatory enforcement and support capacity building, public outreach, and expert-led planning across sectors such as environmental engineering, biodiversity, and public health.

Munde claimed Maharashtra is the first state to establish such an integrated river rejuvenation authority aimed at addressing pollution through a coordinated, multi-departmental approach.

Meanwhile, the state Cabinet on Wednesday approved the establishment of the Maharashtra State River Rejuvenation Authority to undertake both regulatory and developmental work for reducing river pollution and conserving and revitalising rivers.

The Chief Minister will be the Chairperson of the authority, which will be set up on the lines of the National River Conservation Plan, while the Minister for Environment and Climate Change will be the Vice-Chairperson.

The authority will function as the nodal agency for all aspects of river rejuvenation and as the highest decision-making body. The Cabinet also approved raising Rs 2,000 crore for the authority through the Pollution Control Board and a provision of Rs 100 crore as the state government’s contribution.

It was also approved that 10 per cent of the revenue from minor mineral extraction will be allocated annually to the authority. In addition, funds will be mobilised through corporate social responsibility contributions and blended financing from financial institutions.

–IANS

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