Mumbai: Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) chairman Siddhesh Kadam on Friday reviewed the upgrade of seven sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the city by the BMC. The upgrade is expected to help the STPs further treat sewage water discharged in the city.
BMC officials said work on the STPs at Ghatkopar, Bhandup, Versova, Malad, Worli, Bandra, Dharavi is progressing well and will be completed ahead of their timeline in the next three years.
Kadam sought a timeline from the civic body about the completion of work on the STPs and also wanted the BMC to examine whether there can be temporary solutions for secondary and tertiary treatment of sewage water. The BMC is carrying out an upgrade of the STPs for secondary and tertiary treatment of 2,464 MLD of wastewater in all.
According to BMC officials, there is no need for temporary solutions as the existing STPs at Ghatkopar, Bhandup, Versova, Malad, Charkop, Colaba, Worli, Bandra and Powai ensure wastewater is primarily treated. “Work on the STPs is progressing at the right pace. Of the STPs being upgraded for secondary and tertiary treatment, the ones at Bhandup, Ghatkopar and Versova are to be completed by July 2026, the ones at Worli, Bandra and Dharavi by 2027, and the one at Malad by 2028 as work on it started recently,” said a BMC official.
The BMC is looking for users for the water that will undergo secondary and tertiary treatment. They could include large institutions, besides PSUs and other bulk consumers of water, who need it for non-potable purposes. “Water subjected to tertiary treatment is safe for human use and in gardens, washing of vehicles, etc. We are looking at agencies such as Port Trust and BEST, besides refineries. RCF is even using raw sewage water,” an official said.