The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has set March 31, 2027, as the deadline to complete its 337 million litres per day sewage treatment plant in Ghatkopar East, as civic officials push to accelerate civil, mechanical and electrical work at the site.
Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar reviewed the project during an inspection on Thursday and directed officials to maintain adequate manpower until construction is completed. The facility is being developed under the Mumbai Sewage Disposal Project and is expected to treat sewage before the water is reused for various purposes.
The secondary treatment pipeline, which is required for the next stage of sewage processing, has been targeted for completion by December 31, 2026. The overall sewage treatment plant is scheduled to be completed three months later, on March 31, 2027.
During the inspection, officials reviewed the progress of process tanks, inlet and outlet systems, the pump house, the sludge treatment unit, internal pipelines and other civil works. Mechanical installations under review included pumps, aeration blowers, screening equipment, sludge treatment machinery and associated piping.
The BMC also examined electrical works covering transformers, electrical panels, cabling, motor power supply, control and automation systems, SCADA and backup power arrangements. Bangar directed officials to carry out different components simultaneously and at an accelerated pace, while prioritising quality, safety and efficiency at the site.
The civic body has increased manpower to meet the project deadlines, with around 1,000 workers deployed at the site since October 1. The project is expected to benefit residents of Ghatkopar, Mankhurd, Govandi and Chembur. The BMC has said that the treated water will be reused for various purposes and that the project will help improve seawater quality while protecting the marine environment and aquatic life.
The deadline comes as the civic body works on other sewage interception measures in eastern Mumbai. The BMC recently said it had completed the interception and diversion of all 20 sewage outfalls flowing into Powai Lake. Eighteen flows along Adi Shankaracharya Marg were diverted to the Bhandup sewage treatment plant through gravity-based systems, while two flows near Perugate on the northern side of the lake were diverted to the Filterpada sewage treatment plant.
That work involved laying 3,056 metres of new sewer lines. The Ghatkopar facility will use Sequential Batch Reactor technology to treat sewage, with the project intended to expand the city’s sewage treatment capacity and reduce untreated discharge into waterways and coastal areas.
Bangar was accompanied during the inspection by Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Engineering) Shashank Bhore, Chief Engineer of the Mumbai Sewage Disposal Project Rajendra Parab and other civic officials. The BMC has directed the project team to maintain the additional workforce and complete the remaining work within the stipulated timelines.
