Navi Mumbai: Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is extending its tertiary treated recycled water supply to construction sites, following its successful distribution to industries along the Thane-Belapur industrial corridor. The initiative aims to preserve drinking water resources. Three tertiary plants at Koparkhairane, Nerul, and Airoli are now functional, offering a combined supply capacity of 45 MLD to replace potable water.
NMMC recently issued a directive to the construction sector regarding the transition from potable to recycled water usage. NMMC commissioner Kailas Shinde stated, “We had a meeting with the construction professionals, architects, and contractors where they were encouraged to adopt tertiary purified recycled water as a social responsibility measure. We received unanimous positive support from all participants who consented to adopt recycled water so that a huge amount of potable water could be saved.”
Additional city engineer Arvind Shinde highlighted the importance of substituting drinking water with tertiary water in industries and construction sites to ensure an uninterrupted supply to residents. Somnath Kekan, assistant director of town planning at NMMC, noted that this initiative positions Navi Mumbai as a leading civic body nationwide.
The city maintains seven modern sewage treatment plants that supply purified water to residential societies. Koparkhairane and Airoli house 20 tertiary treatment plants each, with a total 40 MLD capacity, serving 55 industries in MIDC and 11 Ready Mix Concrete (RMC) plants. NMMC provides 12 MLD treated water to public gardens and road dividers and has 28 MLD available for the construction sector. A new tertiary plant in Nerul with 5 MLD capacity increased the total capacity to 45 MLD. Another plant at CBD with 7.5 MLD capacity is being constructed, which will take the tally to 52.5 MLD.
Kailas Shinde addressed concerns about drinking water scarcity due to declining rainfall patterns and increased construction activities. NMMC offers tertiary water at Rs 18.5 per 1000 litres to industries and the construction sector, compared to Rs 30 per 1,000 litres for drinking water. For private gardens, household use, and vehicle cleaning, the rate is Rs 1.5 per 1,000 litres to encourage wider adoption.