The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has set December 2029 as the target for completing the first 200 million litres per day (MLD) phase of its Manori desalination plant, while defending the project against opposition from fishermen and farmers in the area. The civic body said the plant could improve water supply in Gorai, where residents face low pressure and shortages.
Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar said the BMC had received advance possession of the project site from the Mumbai Suburban district collector. The final handover and area-correction process is still under way, with the civic body coordinating with the revenue department and the collector.
The project is planned with a capacity of 200 MLD, expandable to 400 MLD. The BMC’s stated completion target for the expanded capacity is between mid-2030 and December 2030. The plant is estimated to cost Rs 9,591 crore, including design, construction, operations, maintenance and power consumption. The civic body has calculated the water cost at Rs 49 per 1,000 litres at the initial 200 MLD capacity and Rs 45 per 1,000 litres at 400 MLD, based on a 20-year project life.
Bangar said the plant would use seawater reverse osmosis, which treats seawater through pressure and membranes rather than boiling. According to the BMC, pipe-jacking technology will be used for tunnelling to avoid disturbing the seabed surface. The intake system will use slow water velocity and multistage screening, while multiport diffusers will disperse the concentrated brine.
The civic body said scientific calculations, including MIKE 21 mathematical modelling, had established that the planned brine discharge point—24.2 kilometres from Mumbai’s shallow coast—would allow safe dilution. Bangar said the salinity outside the zone of initial dilution would remain near ambient levels and that long-term environmental impact monitoring was included in the project. He also said the treated water would be at par with output from the Bhandup water treatment plant.
The assurances come amid opposition from Manori and Gorai residents, particularly fishing and farming communities. Their concerns include possible effects on marine life, losses linked to fishing and the loss of grazing land. Community leaders have alleged that land was transferred to the BMC without adequate consultation. Fishermen’s groups from Palghar to Mumbai are scheduled to hold a protest at the Mumbai Suburban collector’s Bandra office on Monday, with organisers expecting around 3,000 participants. They have announced that Manori-Gorai will be shut as part of the protest.
The BMC said the project could help address Gorai’s water shortage because the existing supply pipeline is long, resulting in reduced pressure at the far end. Local elected representative Shivanand Shetty also said that resorts allegedly draw water before it reaches residents, affecting supply. The civic body’s wider plan is to increase Mumbai’s daily water supply from 4,100 MLD to 5,140 MLD by December 2030. The projected 1,040 MLD increase includes 400 MLD from the expanded Manori plant, 440 MLD from the Gargai dam and 200 MLD from a proposed Versova desalination plant. The BMC has listed December 2030 as the target for the Versova facility and May 2029 for the Gargai dam.
