Mumbai: After spending years to get various environmental clearances, the Opposition's allegation of cartelisation and re-tendering several times, the city's ambitious sewage treatment plant (STP) will finally see the light of day. Following the Supreme Court directives, the BMC has allotted a contract of Rs26,000 crore (including maintenance cost for 15 years) for the construction and upgradation of seven STPs in May 2022. Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed bhoomi poojan for the project on Thursday in Mumbai. It will be one of the biggest projects undertaken by the BMC in terms of cost. The STPs will have the capacity to treat 2,464 million litres of sewage per day.
At present, the sewage plant at Colaba treats wastewater to the required standards before allowing the water to be released into the nearest water source. Under the new STPs, the sewage will be treated at secondary and tertiary levels by following stricter norms of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and reducing pollution.
The idea of the STPs was first mooted in 2002, but the project was undertaken by the BMC after seven years. It was delayed due to several reasons such as seeking environmental clearances from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) and the CPCB. The tendering process was stuck in litigation since 2017 In 2019, SC gave relief to the BMC and allowed the tendering process. The delay has led to a massive cost escalation from Rs.5,500 crores in 2009 to now Rs. 26,000 crores in 2023.
The project will take four to six years to complete. The BMC is also planning to reuse the advanced treated wastewater for potable purposes.
“The project is just an eyewash that will be used only to siphon off the money. Presently the aerators are not working so the existing STPs are not performing up to the mark. We hope that the project is not used as any other money-making exercise and delayed further, said Stalin D, Director, Vanashakti.
Environmental activist Zoru Bhathena said, “Maximum sewage goes into the nullahs which are not treated. It does not require any big plant to treat the water for it. It is a money-making proposal.”
