Mumbai: The BMC's plans to divert excess water from its Vihar lake to the filtration plant at Bhandup complex will soon be a reality. The proposal to construct a pumping station with a capacity of 200 million litres per day (MLD) at the shore of the lake has been sent for administrative approval. The excess water will not only add to the daily supply of the city during the monsoon, but will also give relief to the areas affected by the Mithi river.
When the Mithi river overflows during heavy rains, areas like Kranti Nagar in Kurla, Bandra Kurla Complex as well as Saki Naka in Andheri (East), get flooded. The railway tracks in Kurla and Sion also get flooded, resulting in disruption to local services. The measures such as building retaining walls along the river have also failed to prevent flooding during heavy rains. As per the suggestion of a consultant appointed in 2020, the BMC decided to divert the excess water from Vihar Lake to the Bhandup filtration plant.
Pumping Station To Be Operational By 2027:
"Once we receive administrative approval, orders will be issued in the next one month. The construction of the pumping station and laying pipelines will take at least one and half years. The excess water will be diverted into the pumping station, which will be further transferred to the water treatment plant through a one km pipeline to the Bhandup complex. The filtered water will then be added to the water supply of the city during the monsoon. The pumping station will be operational by 2027," said a civic official.
Vihar Lake Provides Only 2% of Mumbai's Water Supply:
The pumping station will be more effective when the city observes rainfall of 150 to 200 mm a day. The BMC is also trying to evaluate the quantity of rain water that will be discharged into Mithi after Vihar lake sarts overflowing, said civic sources. After Tulsi, Vihar is the other smallest lake that provides only 2% of the city's water supply. The estimated cost of the project is around Rs. 58 crores. A budget provision of Rs. 30 crore is proposed in the financial year 2024-25 for this work.
