Officials say the Israel govt will help understand if the site is good enough for the project
The civic body will take 30 acres of land from the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation for this project. Representation pic
After the Shiv Sena's pet project, Coastal Road, the BMC is now turning its focus on the desalination plant at Manori, for which it has sought the help of the government of Israel that is a pioneer in the technology.
Experts from Israel will join the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the feasibility study of this project. The study will examine the possibility of the project's success and if the site where the BMC plans to set up the plant is good enough.
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The Israeli government will also help the BMC to draft the tender documents and invite contractors for the project, which is estimated to cost Rs 1,600 crore.
A senior civic official requesting anonymity, said, "It is a government-to-government agreement in which the Israeli side has agreed to help us with their knowledge as the country is a pioneer in this technology. They will help us until contractors are appointed to carry out this kind of mammoth work. We have identified the site, which is owned by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), and the feasibility study will be done there."
This project had been in discussion for some time and plans were drawn, but it never took off, said an official. However, with the involvement of Environment and Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray, the project is likely to see the light of day, the official added.
200m litres a day
The 200 million litres per day (MLD) plant at Manori will clean the seawater for potable purposes, said civic officials. It will be like the Bhandup water treatment plant, but with advanced technology, they added. The BMC will also be able to connect the plant to the existing network of distribution. The civic body will take 30 acres of land from the MTDC for this project. Sources also said the BMC would consider updating the plant to 400 MLD, only after a successful run.
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