Mumbai to get seven new sewage treatment plants after MoEF relaxes norms

The relaxation of the rules has paved the way for Mumbai Sewerage Disposal Project (MSDP)-2 by reducing the cost of the project by 20%

November 17, 2017

Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) will be constructed in Colaba, Worli, Dharavi, Bandra, Bhandup, Ghatkopar, and Malad (File pic for representation)

Mumbai:

The decks have been cleared for the construction of seven Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) in Colaba, Worli, Dharavi, Bandra, Bhandup, Ghatkopar, and Malad after the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) revised the effluent discharge standards for metros last month.

According to the revised norms, the biochemical dissolved oxygen (BOD), i.e. the amount of oxygen needed per litre, permitted in the treated water has been reduced to 20 mg/l from 100 mg/l; total suspended solids, which indicate turbidity, has been reduced to 100 mg/l to 50 mg/ l; and the acidity level, which has to be low for aquatic life to thrive, has to be between 6-9.5.

The relaxation of the rules has paved the way for Mumbai Sewerage Disposal Project (MSDP)-2 by reducing the cost of the project by 20%. The proposed plants, aimed at treating waste water to make it reusable,had been stuck in the planning stage for the past ten years at an estimated cost of ₹12,000 crore.

Sanjay Mukherjee, additional municipal commissioner said, “We have appointed a consultant to assess where the treated water can be supplied. Some of the options we are considering are various government offices, the air force, and the navy.”

With the exception of the STP at Colaba, all the plants are in the planning stage. The Malad STP, which is awaiting forest clearance, is reportedly one of the priority projects under MSDP stage II to foster a safe and healthy environment near Malad creek and neighbouring areas.

According to civic body, the city generates about 2100 million litres of sewage daily. The waste water is proposed to be collected from the wards of K east (Andheri east), K west (Andheri west), PN (Malad), PS (Goregaon), and RN (Dahisar).