Mumbai: Now, BMC decides to clean up nullah water

The nullah at Gazdar Bund in Santacruz is part of the project. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has now decided to treat and clean nullah water, which mostly contains sewage and other kind of wastewater, to prevent the contaminated water from entering the sea and creeks. In the first phase, the BMC will spend Rs 83 crore for the purification of water from 26 nullahs for the next 5.5 years. But a civic activist says this project should not be treated as another experiment and should be undertaken only if it benefits the city.

The process

"According to National Green Tribunal guidelines, untreated sewage water should not flow into the sea or a natural water source. We will use in situ biological treatment (the use of aquatic plants, aquatic animals, and microbial remediation) for nullah water under the expert guidance of IIT, NEERI, and VJTI. This project will run for 5.5 years. It is a temporary project as we are in the process of connecting all sewers to sewage treatment plants," said Ashok Mengade, chief engineer, Sewage Disposal Project, BMC.

"The purification of the nullah water will be done in stages. The first stage will involve screening solid waste, then disinfection of water, and in the final stage biological treatment for purifying drain water," he added.

According to BMC, 2,400 million litres of nullah water will be treated in the sewage treatment plants. The Ministry of Urban Development's estimate for sewage generation in a city is 80 per cent of the total potable water supply. At least 20 per cent to 25 per cent untreated sewage enters water bodies directly. Some surveys done by the BMC state that 74,400 sewer connections in the city were linked to stormwater drains.

Activist warns

"The BMC has been working on cleaning up sewage for more than 10 years. It has not succeeded yet, but the BMC has spent hundreds of crores rupees on the project. Now officials are talking about a new experiment. But the authorities should not see this project as just an experiment. If this project is really going to benefit the city only then the BMC should implement it or it will waste taxpayers' money," said civic activist Anil Galgali.

Rs 83cr
Cost of the first phase of the project