Hindi News: Uddhav Thackeray clear the first desalination plant in Mumbai

November 25, 2020 Authorbaji55

On Monday, with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray giving the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) the go-ahead to set up a facility, Mumbai is all set to get its first desalination plant. The projected plant, which will process 200 million litres of water per day (MLD), will be installed at Manori and will be set up in May and June to address the water shortages faced by Mumbai.

Thackeray said that because of the delayed monsoon, the desalination project would assist people in tackling the 10 to 15% water cut they face each year in May and June.

The BMC plans to take up the 'Swiss Challenge Process' for the project, officials said. Under this, upon an unsolicited proposal, a project may be awarded to a private player. The private company which has first submitted a recommendation can be approached directly for negotiations, and other bidders are called if they disagree. Civic officials said that an initial report from the organization would be placed before the BMC in a few weeks, after which a utility analysis will be carried out following the comprehensive project report (DPR). If all goes according to plan, Mumbai could have its first desalination facility by 2025, officials said.

The BMC had earlier cancelled a proposal for the establishment of a desalination plant in 2016, citing high costs and a lack of land. In 2007, a high-level committee appointed by the state government proposed setting up desalination plants in Mumbai. The BMC then said that the cost of setting up a 100 MLD desalination plant would be Rs 1000 crore and requires large quantities of electricity, advanced, costly infrastructure. The civic organization said that it is easier to carry water from the existing network into the city.