Mahabaleshwar Municipal Council Identifying Alternate Land To Shift Horse Activity from Venna Lake, Also Requesting State Govt for Biogas Plants

Vinita Deshmukh 10 January 2024

Economy & Nation

While it would seem a bit too exaggerated that any government authority would promptly act on a research study report, in the case of the Mahabaleshwar drinking water contamination issue, the project was proposed by the Mahabaleshwar municipal council to the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics and hence the latter’s findings are being apparently taken seriously.

Yogesh Patil, chief operations officer (COO) of the Mahabaleshwar municipal council, when contacted by Moneylife, revealed that they have identified two to three areas where horse ride activity could be shifted, which includes famous scenic points where tourists throng, like the Bombay Point and Wilson Point.

However, the Gokhale Institute’s recommendation of the polo ground is being taken with a pinch of salt. States Patil, “The polo ground is a good suggestion but the land belongs to the forest department. We would be exploring with this department about whether this reserved thicket could be used for purposes of horse riding and parking of horses. In the meanwhile, we are exploring land that is within the municipality’s limits.”

Novel Experiment to Treat Horse Excreta

The Gokhale Institute’s research report states that, “At the Japalouppe equestrian farm a sustainability and ESG (environmental, social, governance) project (in Pune) has been launched by the owner Rohan More. Dr Priti Mastakar (author of the research report) is designing the sustainability project to bring solutions to the challenges of water contamination and soil contamination due to animal excreta waste disposal.

“The author, along with the owner, is establishing ESG at the farm, this includes the building of organic STPs (sewage treatment plants) and waste-to-energy plants converting animal waste to biogas for community kitchens along with comprehensive solar systems, and sustainable management practices are being documented. In the very short run, water contamination and waste disposal will be streamlined as speedily as possible. This pilot project will set the design for solutions for the Mahabaleshwar drinking water contamination project.”

As for Gokhale Institute’s second recommendation of installation of the biogas plant for producing cooking fuel from horse excreta, the municipal council has agreed to implement it and is awaiting a nod from the state government. Patil reveals, “We would be writing a letter to the state government requesting for two biogas plants having a capacity of five tonnage per day (TPD). Horse excreta, as well as large quantity of food waste in the hill station, together can be used to produce fuel.”

As for the contamination in the main filtration plant in Mahabaleshwar, the process of purifying it of all bacteria and viruses has also begun.

Gokhale Institute’s Recommendations

An ideal location would be the polo ground which offers easy access to all the main sightseeing spots of Mahabaleshwar. It is big enough to allow for the creation of a horse-riding training centre as well, which would be a new and steady source of income for the horse owners. As dried-up excreta rises up into the air, simply cutting off the interface is not enough, implementation of a safe and effective disposal mechanism is necessary.
The creation of a biogas plant for added commercial benefits could be considered.
Further, as it is revealed by the analysis, the current filtration system in place is not effective and resistant against the contaminants. This is especially true for Rotavirus, given its prevalence, despite vaccines being administered in children. Thus, a rectification of the filtration process and instruments is required for the third source of contamination around the Venna lake.

Dr Priti Mastakar informs, “We had presented our results to Jeetendra Dudhi, collector of Satara, Yogesh Patil, the COO of Mahabaleshwar, and the tehsildar of Mahabaleshwar, Tejaswini Patil. All of them welcomed the vital research work done by Gokhale Institute and promised to take immediate action. Changes are already happening in Mahabaleshwar as per the solutions suggested by the Gokhale Institute team. The treatment plants are being repaired and the shops lining Venna lake have been removed as they were adding to the health risk due to contaminated water.”

(Tomorrow: What Hospital Records from Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani Reveal in Gokhale Institute's Health Risk Assessment Report)

You may also want to read…

Beware! Heavy Contamination in Mahabaleshwar Drinking Water Due to Horse Excreta in Venna Lake, Warns Gokhale Institute

Mahabaleshwar: Ban Horse Rides around Venna Lake, Put Up Biogas Plants To Convert Horse Excreta into Energy, Says Gokhale Institute

(Vinita Deshmukh is consulting editor of Moneylife. She is also the convener of the Pune Metro Jagruti Abhiyaan. She is the recipient of prestigious awards like the Statesman Award for Rural Reporting, which she won twice in 1998 and 2005 and the Chameli Devi Jain Award for outstanding media person for her investigation series on Dow Chemicals. She co-authored the book "To The Last Bullet - The Inspiring Story of A Braveheart - Ashok Kamte" with Vinita Kamte and is the author of "The Mighty Fall".)

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