Is Pune building a riverfront or increasing the river’s risks?

Pune’s River Front Development project has been presented as an effort to transform and rejuvenate stretches of the Mula-Mutha river system. The project, designed by HCP Design, Planning and Management Pvt. Ltd., has also drawn comparisons with the Sabarmati Riverfront project in Ahmedabad. SANDRP notes that the two river systems have substantially different landscapes and hydrological conditions, raising questions about whether a similar model can safely be applied to Pune. 

The technical analysis highlighted by SANDRP focuses particularly on the project's stated objective of reducing flood risk. It examines the seven upstream dams, the three major river confluences within Pune and the flood-discharge figures used in the project planning.

1. Are the flood values being used correctly?

One of the most significant concerns relates to the flood values used to design the riverfront.

According to the SANDRP analysis, the flood figures used in the RFD project differ substantially from figures provided by Maharashtra’s Water Resources Department. At the Mula-Mutha confluence, the RFD project reportedly uses a 100-year flood discharge of 4,760.89 cubic metres per second, while the WRD figure cited by SANDRP is 12,868.80 cubic metres per second. 

The analysis argues that the project calculations do not adequately account for water released from all seven upstream dams as well as runoff from the free catchment area between the dams and Pune.

Another concern is the confluence or backwater effect. When rivers meet, changes in flow and water levels can cause water to back up upstream. SANDRP says Maharashtra WRD guidelines require this effect to be considered when flood lines are determined.

The analysis therefore concludes that the flood values used in the project may be significantly underestimated.

2. Will the river’s natural cross-section be maintained?

The second question concerns the amount of space being left for the river itself.

SANDRP's analysis points to project documents indicating changes to the river's cross-section as a result of the proposed riverfront structures and land works. It argues that reducing the available river section can have consequences during extreme flows, particularly when the city is already facing intense rainfall events.

The analysis also refers to correspondence between the Pune Municipal Corporation and the Water Resources Department concerning changes to the river's cross-section.

According to the presentation, these changes raise questions about whether the project complies with conditions attached to its environmental clearance and WRD guidelines. 

3. Has the confluence effect been considered?

The Mula-Mutha system is not simply one uninterrupted river channel. Multiple rivers meet within Pune, making the behaviour of water during extreme rainfall more complicated.

SANDRP's analysis argues that the project’s flood modelling does not adequately account for these confluence effects.

This matters because water moving through a river can slow or back up when it encounters another high-flow channel. During a cloudburst or major rainfall event, simultaneous releases from upstream dams could send large quantities of water towards the city within a relatively short period.

The analysis therefore questions whether the project's flood calculations accurately represent what could happen during an extreme event. 

4. Where is climate change in the planning?

Climate change is another major concern raised by the analysis.

A Maharashtra government climate assessment prepared by TERI in 2014 projected changes in rainfall patterns, including increased rainfall intensity alongside changes in the number of rainy days. SANDRP argues that such climate projections do not appear to have been adequately incorporated into the RFD's planning and flood assessment. 

This becomes particularly important as Pune experiences increasingly intense rainfall events. Infrastructure designed around historical rainfall patterns may face higher risks if future rainfall becomes more extreme.

For a project costing thousands of crores, the analysis argues, climate resilience should be a central part of the design rather than an afterthought.

5. Are Indian standards for river embankments being followed?

The fifth question concerns the location and design of embankments.

Indian standards for river embankments recommend aligning such structures with the natural banks of rivers. SANDRP's analysis argues that parts of the Pune project instead place embankments further into the riverbed.

The presentation also highlights construction and debris dumping within the river area, including a road reportedly being built within the floodline.

According to the analysis, information obtained through RTI indicated that the riverbed road did not have the necessary WRD clearance or studies from relevant technical agencies. 

Flooding has already raised concerns

The debate is not entirely theoretical.

The SANDRP analysis refers to an August 2025 event when a flood level reportedly exceeded the threshold at which the riverfront was expected to remain safe. The presentation states that a discharge of 71,408 cubic feet per second resulted in flooding/submergence of parts of the riverfront, despite the project's stated threshold being considerably higher. 

The analysis argues that additional construction within flood-prone areas could further restrict the river's natural capacity and potentially increase flood levels and their horizontal spread.

The ecological cost

Flood safety is only one side of the debate.

SANDRP and environmental experts also raise concerns about the destruction of riparian forests and riverine habitats. These areas support native trees, natural vegetation, birds, aquatic organisms and the wider ecological connection between land and water. 

The Pune Municipal Corporation has proposed planting around 45,000 trees, but environmentalists argue that plantations cannot simply replace naturally evolved riparian ecosystems.

Jeevitnadi Foundation's Shailaja Deshpande, quoted by Counterview, argues that natural riparian species and ecosystems perform functions that conventional plantations cannot replicate, including supporting aquatic life and maintaining interconnected food chains. 

A riverfront cannot be separated from sewage management

Another contradiction highlighted in the Counterview report is the gap between the promise of a cleaner river and Pune's sewage-treatment capacity.

The city reportedly generates around 1,634 MLD of sewage. Even after the JICA-supported sewage treatment programme is completed, Counterview reports that an estimated 629 MLD of untreated sewage could continue entering the rivers. 

This raises a fundamental question: can a river be genuinely rejuvenated through landscaping and embankment construction if untreated sewage continues to enter the system?

Environmentalists cited in the report have also questioned whether existing sewage-treatment plants are consistently meeting CPCB standards. 

The Sabarmati comparison

Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Riverfront has often been presented as an inspiration for Pune's project. But the comparison has also become controversial.

Counterview notes that portions of the Sabarmati Riverfront were submerged during the monsoon, adding to questions about the suitability of replicating the model elsewhere. The SANDRP analysis argues that Pune's river basin has its own hydrological characteristics and should not simply be treated as another version of the Sabarmati. 

Legal and procedural questions

The project has also faced environmental and legal challenges.

Counterview reports that the National Green Tribunal had previously directed the Pune Municipal Corporation to amend aspects of its environmental clearance and had halted tree-felling activity. An amended clearance issued in 2024 was subsequently challenged as well. 

SANDRP's analysis further points to differences between the project's Detailed Project Report and Environment Impact Assessment, including differing descriptions of proposed changes to the riverbed. 

What happens next?

The project has already reached an advanced stage, with Counterview reporting that around 80% of the priority stretch has been completed and the estimated project cost at approximately ₹4,727 crore.

The concern raised by SANDRP is therefore not simply whether Pune should have a riverfront. It is whether the remaining work can be reassessed against actual flood behaviour, ecological conditions, climate projections and regulatory requirements.

The larger issue is whether urban river development should prioritise concrete embankments, roads and beautification, or whether the river's natural floodplain, riparian ecosystem and capacity to absorb extreme flows should remain central to planning.

The SANDRP analysis ultimately calls for closer scrutiny of the project's flood calculations, environmental impacts and compliance with existing standards before further interventions alter the river irreversibly. 

SOURCES AND ABOUT AUTHOR

Original analysis/presentation: Sarang Yadwadkar, Architect and member of the Planning Committee of the Development Plan of Pune City. Context and explanatory text: Tara Tanmayi S., SANDRP. (SANDRP)

Courtesy: Counterview.net — “Riverfront or river death? SANDRP warns of ecosystem collapse.” Counterview.net article