India, April 13 -- Even as the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) claims to treat a substantial share of the city's sewage, its Environment Status Report (ESR) 2024-25 highlights major gaps in collection and treatment. The issue has come under renewed scrutiny after a sewage treatment plant (STP) near Pashan Lake failed, leading to untreated discharge and fish deaths.

The ESR estimates Pune generates about 980 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage, of which only 64% is treated before being released into water bodies. While PMC operates STPs with a combined capacity of 567 MLD and a sewage network exceeding 2,600 km, the report points to inefficiencies across the system.

Service benchmarks show 95% network coverage, but only 64% of sewage...