Mumbai: BMC floats tenders for Rs 3,520 crore desalination plant project

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC floated tenders on Monday to set up a desalination plant at Manori with a capacity of producing 200 million litres of potable water from salt water per day The estimated cost of the project is R3520 crore including operation and maintenance costs for 20 yearsThe project is expected to be ready in four years The 200 MLD million litres per day water generated initially through the plant will be supplied to Kandivli and Borivli nearbyThe BMC invited etenders on December 4 and submissions will be accepted until 4 pm on January 4 2024 On October 28 midday reported that after much delay the BMC was in the last stages of inviting tenders for the ambitious project to get potable water from the sea The idea was initiated by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and the project was put on the fast trackInitial project evaluationThe BMC had appointed IDE Water Technologies Ltd an Israeli company in February 2021 to prepare a detailed proposal Later in January 2022 the civic body engaged Ms SMEC India to evaluate the study and designs prepared by the Israeli firm The BMC had set aside Rs 200 crore for the project in its budget for 202223 with the bids supposed to be initiated by August 2022 via a global tendering system The report which was supposed to be ready by June 2022 was submitted in the third week of November 2022Then BMC took its own time to evaluate the report and issue a tender notice Finally after a year the corporation floated the same The desalination project at Manori was initially favoured over the proposed Gargai dam thereby preventing the axing of four lakh trees in the Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary The project however did not take off and the BMC once again allocated Rs 200 crore in its 202324 budget but did not set a deadlineCurrently the city receives 3850 MLD water from seven lakes The desalination projectrsquos 200 MLD capacity can be later expanded to 400 MLD Apart from construction it would incur heavy expenses for electricity maintenance and asset replacement for the next 20 yearsA civic official told midday ldquoAs per initial estimates the total cost of the 200 MLD desalination plant would be Rs 1600 crore for construction Factoring in the operation and maintenance cost of Rs 1920 crore for 20 years the total would come up to Rs 3520 crore The project cost includes the construction of inbound and outbound channels sea works suitable for a 400 MLD plant to take water from the sea It is estimated that over 20 years the project would cost Rs 8500 crore including electricity consumptionrdquoThe official added that since the project would have infrastructure for a 400 MLD capacity plant the cost of expansion would be reduced The 200 MLD water from the plant will be transferred to the Mahavir Nagar pumping station and supplied to nearby areasProjectrsquos cost componentsRs 1600crConstructionRs 1920crOperation and maintenance for 20 yearsRs 8500crCost including electricity consumptionRs 4250Cost per litre of water200 MLD capacityRs 3220Cost per litre of water400 MLD capacityRs 30Cost per litre of water using traditional sources