Koyna's water may be used to meet Mumbai's needs: CM

The state government is mulling the use of water discharged from the Koyna hydel power reservoir to meet the irrigation needs of Konkan region, and the drinking water needs of Mumbai.

The state government is mulling the use of water discharged from the Koyna hydel power reservoir to meet the irrigation needs of Konkan region, and the drinking water needs of Mumbai.

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Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said on Wednesday that it was time the state properly planned the use of the water discharged from Koyna into the Arabian Sea. About 67 thousand million cubic feet every year are discharged into the sea. Koyna is more than 300km from Mumbai.

"This project could be very expensive, but we must realise that the price of sweet water will be even more in the future. We have to think about how this water could be supplied to farms, and cities such as Mumbai," said Chavan while addressing a function that marked the lake tapping of the Koyna reservoir.

Water resources minister Sunil Tatkare said that a scientific study had been initiated for the proposal and a report was expected in one year.

Earlier, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had proposed to the state to draw water from Koyna for Mumbai and surrounding regions like Thane and Raigad. The project was then estimated to cost about Rs 40,000 crore.