Mumbai: UBT Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray pitches desalination over dams

Desalination is no more expensive than dams claims Aaditya Thackeray GenNext Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray has argued that Mumbairsquos water requirements should rely on desalination projects instead of raindependent solutions like building more damsIn a candid conversation with midday Thackeray emphasised that constructing new dams which involves axing thousands of trees is not the ideal approach ldquoEven if one constructs a dam where would you get the water from if there is no rain We need to shift from rain dependency to other sources to meet the cityrsquos water requirementrdquo he saidCurrently Mumbai requires 4463 MLD of water but only 3950 MLD is supplied The proposed Gargai dam which is 80km to north of Mumbai with a capacity of 440 MLD is expected to help reduce this gap according to the BMCWhen asked about the high costs associated with desalination Thackeray pointed out that these expenses have dropped significantly over the past decade ldquoTen years ago producing one litre of water through desalination cost Rs 27 Today it has come down to Rs 1150 The cost of water supplied by dams is similar to that of desalinationrdquo he explainedThackeray stated that the BMC spends Rs 1150 to produce every 1000 litres of water However thanks to subsidies citizens pay just R6 per 1000 litres for residential usage ldquoWater from desalination plants can also be supplied at the same subsidised costrdquo he addedHe criticised dam construction for its high financial burden lengthy timelines and environmental cost Referring to the ambitious Gargai dam project Thackeray said ldquoBuilding such dams requires cutting and transplanting nearly 5 lakh trees resulting in a significant loss of green cover This isnrsquot an issue with desalination projectsrdquoTo meet the cityrsquos growing water demands the BMC proposed the Gargai dam in Palghar district in 2015 Backed by then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis the project has faced significant delays due to environmental concernsExperts sayAnand Pendharkar CEO and ecologist at SPROUTS stated that mega dams are an obsolete form of infrastructure that is being decommissioned globally ldquoThey are a clear sign of noninclusive and shortsighted development ideologiesrdquo he saidldquoBig dams are also environmental disasters that cause ecological losses affecting ecosystems and biodiversity They disrupt the social fabric by displacing tribals and poor farmers in submergence zones pushing them into urban slums and increasing incidences of suicides and migration This benefits the builders and slum mafias who exploit these situations for votebank politicsThese dams are often created to serve heavy industries megacities and resourceintensive agriculturemdashprimarily benefiting the wealthy This approach is unconstitutional as it denies the poor and marginalised equal rights to resources and dignified livelihoods violating Article 21 Mega dams also impose longterm financial burdens leading to debt and additional taxation on the publicrdquo Pendharkar addedHe proposed alternatives to mega dams including compulsory urban water harvesting in all buildings old and new rejuvenation of historical wells ponds lakes rivers and other traditional bluegreen infrastructure He emphasised the importance of improving water catchment areas microwatershed management forests and recycling and treating grey water for nondrinking needs such as flushing toilets watering gardens and washing vehiclesldquoChanges like adjusting public area slopes reducing concrete surfaces actively removing it from footpaths parking lots and bus depots installing fountains and cascades and increasing green cover will enhance groundwater quality and quantity Conducting water audits for rice sugarcane and other waterintensive crops as well as industries is urgently needed Decentralising water needs and addressing transportation lossesmdashequivalent to the capacity of a new dammdashcan bridge the deficit Mega dams are outdated and in todayrsquos society clearly an election gimmick causing permanent socioeconomic and ecological damagerdquo Pendharkar concludedWildlife conservationist Kedar Gore from the Corbett Foundation highlighted the ecological damage already inflicted on Mumbairsquos hinterland to meet the cityrsquos water needs ldquoPlanning Mumbairsquos future water needs requires caution Itrsquos essential to assess whether the water budget is based on actual drinking water needs or includes overambitious provisions for nondrinking purposes Has the BMC addressed pilferage and theft from existing pipelines Is Mumbai adequately harvesting rainwater Why not make budgetary provisions to help housing colonies use and reuse rainwaterrdquo asked Gore He added that building the Gargai Dam would lead to an ecological disasterldquoDesalinating seawater though not entirely environmentfriendly is still a better option than submerging another forest ecosystem to support an evergrowing city with no clear action plan for mitigating climate change or managing floodwater drainage Lastly we must urgently evaluate the cityrsquos carrying capacity based on the sustainable availability of natural resourcesrdquo Gore concludedWith inputs from Prajakta Kasale