Mumbai’s ₹11,166 Crore Desalination Project Advances As BMC Seeks MMB, MPCB Clearances

Mumbai, May 9: After securing a key milestone with Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance for its proposed 400 Million Litres per day (MLD) seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant at Manori village in the west, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has advanced to the next stage of regulatory approvals.

The civic body has now initiated the process of obtaining permissions from the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), which are crucial to move the project forward.

BMC secures CRZ clearance for project

Earlier, the BMC secured approval from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) in 2023 through an offline process, followed by online clearance in April after procedural revisions.

The mandatory CRZ clearance from the Expert Appraisal Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) was obtained by the end of April.

Approvals from the MMB and the MPCB are also required for desalination projects, given their environmental implications — particularly seawater intake and the discharge of concentrated brine — ensuring full compliance with state environmental regulations and the CRZ Notification.

Groundwork and survey process underway

"We are in the process of obtaining two key approvals — MMB and MPCB — after which groundwork can begin. A drone survey has been completed, and land at Manori has been handed over by the state, with formalities underway.

Desalinated water will be conveyed from Manori to Charkop and onward to the tunnel shaft at Mahavir Nagar in Kandivali. A tender for the conveyance tunnel has also been floated,” a senior official said.

Project aimed at strengthening water security

Amid concerns that El Niño conditions could lead to below-normal monsoon rainfall in Mumbai and across Maharashtra, the proposed desalination plant — the state’s first large-scale potable water project — is being positioned as a key measure to strengthen the city’s long-term water security.

The BMC awarded the contract to GVPR Engineers Limited in December 2025.

The project will be implemented in phases, beginning with a 200 MLD facility that is scalable up to 400 MLD.

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It is estimated to cost Rs 11,166.17 crore, including around Rs 4,077 crore for construction, along with 20 years of operations and maintenance, power costs, taxes and full lifecycle expenses.

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