Aaditya Thackeray inaugurates BMC’s ₹246 cr Dahisar river rejuvenation project

At the inaugural event, BMC conducted the bhoomi poojan for the Dahisar river rejuvenation project work on which is expected to begin right away

Mumbai Maharashtra environment minister Aaditya Thackeray inaugurated Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) ₹246 crore project for the rejuvenation of the Dahisar River on Tuesday.

Maharashtra environment minister Aaditya Thackeray inaugurated the river rejuvenation project, which is expected to be completed within 24 months. (HT File)

At the inaugural event, BMC conducted the bhoomi poojan for the project work on which is expected to begin right away.

BMC is expected to complete the project within 24 months, excluding monsoon months. As per the schedule, four months namely June, July, August, and September, have been considered as monsoon.

The project has at least 11 components, including the construction of two wastewater treatment facilities, sewer lines that connect the nearby settlements to these facilities, nullahs that lead to the river, waste segregation units, desludging the river bed, fence along the river, construction of open green spaces, preservation of wetlands and developing new wetlands and construction of mangrove parks.

The entire project is conceptually divided into three phases: rejuvenation; to prevent entry of pollutants into the river; naturalisation, creation of a buffer and promoting biodiversity, plantation, and preservation of the ecology of the river; and preservation, which includes operation and maintenance.

Taking to social media on Tuesday, Aaditya Thackeray said, “This project will begin with preventing pollutants into the stream through interception & treatment plants. One will be happy to know that we are creating open spaces across the stretch & increasing green cover, developing wetlands, mangrove parks to preserve the river’s ecology.”

P Velarasu, additional municipal commissioner in charge of the project, said, “Work on rejuvenation of the four major rivers of Mumbai, Dahisar, Poisar, Oshiwara, and Mithi has started, with Saturday’s inauguration of the project for Dahisar river.”

Meanwhile, in a meeting between Thackeray and senior officials from the civic body and the state government, a decision was taken to allot ₹61.48 crore towards construction of retaining walls in landslide-prone areas in suburban Mumbai. In a series of responses on social media, Thackeray said, “The disbursal will be as per the high-risk category for landslides studied by GSI & BMC.”