Team Blitz India
MUMBAI: Mumbai’s reliance on its seven lakes for potable water causes anxiety every year during monsoon season. To augment water supply, BMC will start work on its ambitious desalination plant with a capacity of 200 million litres per day (MLD) in the new financial year with provision of Rs 350 crore.
The civic body will also start work on recycling and reuse of waste water to potable water at Colaba on a pilot basis, and construct a 200 MLD pumping station (Rs 30 crore) for overflowing stock from Vihar Lake to the water treatment plant at Bhandup complex and the replacement of water mains. A total provision of Rs 2,400 crore has been made for these works in 2024-25.
BMC supplies 3,900 MLD of water from its seven lakes. However, low rainfall has often resulted in a water crisis with the civic body struggling to meet the increasing demand. To meet the need and to develop new sources of supply, it has planned a few ambitious projects that have been only on paper for the last few years.
The corporation has started a tendering process to construct a desalination plant expandable to 400 MLD in the future at Manori in Malad. It is also going ahead with its plans to construct a new water treatment plant with a capacity of 2,000 MLD replacing the existing old and weak 1,910 MLD plant. A provision of Rs 360 crore has been made in the new financial year for the project.
BMC also made provision of Rs 70 crore for a water tunnel from Amar Mahal (Chembur) to Trombay reservoir, Amar Mahal to Wadala and further up to Parel at Rs 280 crore, Powai to Ghatkopar at Rs 200 crore, and structural repairs of reservoirs for Rs 217.54 crore.
