The water hyacinth menace that Mula-Mutha rivers were heavily infested with on a large scale has witnessed a "marked decline" this year and the civic authorities are asserting that the problem would not crop up this year again as they have deployed a special team of 30 employees for the purpose. The civic administration has proposed to allocate Rs 5 lakh for the purpose in its 2009-10-draft budget.

The Pune Municipal Corporation has in fact hiked the allocation by Rs 70,000 as compared to last year, as the civic body had allocated Rs 4.30 lakh in 2008-09, Rs 1 lakh in 2007-08, Rs 4.91 lakh in 2006-07 and Rs 4.89 lakh in 2005-06.

“Till last year, the Mula-Mutha rivers used to be infested with hyacinth. But last year, we decided to control this pest. Even though we tried to hire some machinery for a quick removal of these hyacinths, we later realised that removing the hyacinths manually is the best way,” said Dr Sadashiv Patole, PMC medical officer (pest control section).

“We have a staff of 30 people always on the duty of removing the hyacinths. We try and control this green pest at critical points at Pimpale Nilakh, Aundh, near Spicer College,” he added.

Patole alleges that the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) does not control the hyacinth coming into the Mula river from Pavana river. “We have been asking them to come together to tackle this issue, but they have still not done anything concrete.”

Jal Dindi Pratishthan president Vishwas Yewale said, “A massive mushrooming of water hyacinth occurs due to the large-scale release of effluents and nitrogenous material. After years of experience in removing the hyacinth, we have realised that there is no better way than removing it than manually.”