BMC proposes water pipeline for Raj Bhavan
A year after Raj Bhavan officials approached the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and expressed interest in buying water from sewage treatment plants, the civic body has proposed to construct an 830-metre long pipeline from Banganga Tank to the Governor’s bungalow on Malabar Hill. The proposal will be discussed at the standing committee meeting Wednesday.
Accepting the request of reduced tariff, the civic body has decided to supply around 3 lakh litres of water daily to the Raj Bhavan at Rs 3.27 per 1,000 litres.
The BMC has floated tenders and finalised a contractor for the project, who will construct a 6-inch wide pipeline over four months for around Rs 80 lakh. Officials from the Hydraulic Engineering department stated that the BMC would only bear the cost of the pipeline till the gate of Banganga Tank. “The part of the pipeline from the gate till the sewage treatment plant will be constructed by the Public Works Department,” he said.
In April last year, in a letter sent to the BMC, Raj Bhavan officials had said the sewage treatment plant generates around 1.5 million litres of treated water per day, which is being wasted by releasing it into the sea. This water, they said, could be used for non-potable purposes and they asked that the water be supplied to them at reduced rates of Rs 2 or Rs 3 per 1,000 litres. In August last year, the BMC had proposed a rate of Rs 4.32 per 1,000 litres, but later, settled for Rs 3.27.
While most of the water generated from the sewage treatment plant at Banganga is released into the sea, some of it is used by the Garden department to water municipal gardens in the area. Officials from the PHE department said they were open to selling the non-potable water to commercial users if they could organise transportation of the water. For instance, the water treated at the plant at Lovegrove pumping station is being supplied to the Mahalaxmi Racecourse. Also, the BMC provides treated sewage water to some commercial entities at Rs 15 per 1,000 litres.
For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App now