Best out of the waste: First tertiary sewage treatment plant to be ready by Dec

Currently, the city has preliminary treatment plants at Worli, Ghatkopar, Bhandup, Versova, Colaba, Bandra and Malad

The city’s first tertiary wastewater treatment facility will be ready in Colaba by December, two months before the deadline, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The BMC already has a preliminary treatment plant in Worli (Ht Photo)

Currently, the city has preliminary treatment plants at Worli, Ghatkopar, Bhandup, Versova, Colaba, Bandra and Malad. Under phase two of the Mumbai Sewage Disposal Project (MSDP II), these plants will be upgraded to give secondary and tertiary treatment to waste water.

After the upgrade, the plants will generate 1,700 million litres of treated water daily, giving 50% extra water supply. A parallel network to supply treated water will be created depending on the demand. The treated water can be used for non-potable purposes such as fire-fighting, gardening, flush tanks, and in industrial and commercial set-ups. Treating sewage before discharging it into the sea will also reduce the damage caused to marine ecology. The Colaba plant will be able to treat 37 million litres of water daily.

Sanjay Mukherjee, additional municipal commissioner (projects), said, “The work will be completed by December. Tenders for upgrade of other plants have been floated and the work will start soon. We will decide on the supply of tertiary or treated water after the plants are ready, depending on the demand. We will come up with standard rates for it.”

HT on March 4 reported that the estimated cost of the project rose to ₹14,368 crore in 2018 from ₹2,300 crore in 2006.

A senior civic official said, “The first phase of the work on the Colaba plant will be completed in August and the second by December.”