Mumbai: The BMC has failed to get a response to its ambitious desalination project even after extending the tendering process several times. The project was re-tendered for the fifth time on Monday, with a final submission date on April 4. However, the project is likely to be delayed due to the upcoming Lok Sabha election's model code of conduct.
The BMC supplies 3,900 million litres of water daily (MLD) to the city. However, the city's reliance on its seven lakes for potable water causes anxiety every year during the monsoon. So, to augment water supply, the BMC revived the ambitious project of a desalination plant.
The plant will be of a capacity of 200 MLD (million litres per day) that can be expanded to 400 MLD at a later stage and will be set up in Manori, Malad. It is expected to be completed in the next four years.
The BMC issued the tender notice to set up the plant, which can convert saline water into potable water, on December 4. The deadline for submitting tenders was January 4, 2024, but the BMC extended it thrice from January 29, February 17 and March 4.
"We received only one bid for the project while several other firms requested to give them some time for study and file the bid. So, we are now extending the deadline to the next one month. The internal process will continue, but the work order will be issued after the upcoming Loksabha elections," said a senior civic official.
The estimated cost of the project (for 200 MLD) is Rs. 3,520 crores including 20 years of operation and maintenance costs. The BMC has allocated Rs. 350 crores in the financial year 2024-25. The project was first mooted in 2007 after a state government-appointed high-level committee suggested setting up desalination plants in Mumbai.
