Countries in the Gulf and Israel have been relying on desalination for decades. For Mumbai, however, the idea has taken more than 15 years to move from a proposal to reality.
The civic body had proposed desalination to reduce the city’s dependence on the monsoon. The plan to supply desalinated water to Mumbai was first seriously considered after the severe water shortage of 2009, when the city faced daily water cuts.
This year, reservoir levels fell to around 23.5 per cent of the city’s annual requirement, prompting the BMC to impose a 10 per cent water cut across Mumbai.
The delayed arrival of the monsoon further heightened concerns over a possible shortage before the rains eventually brought relief.
What Will Mumbai’s Desalination Plant Deliver?
The clearances came with several conditions, including safeguards for brine disposal, protection of the local environment, tunnelling for offshore pipelines and the use of renewable energy for part of the plant’s substantial power requirements. The gap becomes even more critical when the monsoon is delayed or rainfall is below normal. Mumbai remains heavily dependent on the rains to replenish its reservoirs, making the city vulnerable to water shortages during a weak monsoon.
The work will start post-monsoon,” said Abhijit Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner, BMC.
