Indian Express 31.12.2009
BARC to assist civic body in setting up desalination plant
The Bhabha Atomic Research Center will soon be appointed as consultant by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to set up city’s first desalination project. BARC which already desalinates sea water for its private consumption will provide technical expertise to the civic body.
To tackle water crisis and to explore other sources of water in the city, Municipal Commissioner Swadheen Kshatriya along with civic officials visited the desalination plants in BARC locality, Trombay, on Wednesday. “We have already discussed the desalination project and the prospects of setting up the plant. Since they already possess technical expertise in the area, we will use them as consultants,” Kshatriya said.
“In six months, we will start the work on the plant,” Kshatriya said. Civic officials saw the four plants which desalinates one mld water each. Scientists at BARC said the plants set up since 1990s use different technologies for sweetening the sea water. “We will consult on the type of technology and the plant suitable for desalinating water on large scale,” said a BARC member who assisted the civic team. BARC has already helped Chennai to set 10 mld plant and another at Kalpakkam (6.5 mld).
Chief Minister Ashok Chavan earlier this month had announced that within six months Mumbai will set up a desalination plant. Officials have, however, said it will take at least a year for construction and functioning of the experimental plant of 5 mld plant at Colaba. It has received requests from around 14 companies including international firms to study the feasibility of desalination process along Mumbai’s coast line. The firm will collect samples and research the technique and method to desalinate the water and the amount required to conduct the process.
Desalination costs Rs 50-60 per 1,000 litres and the water must then be processed further to make it potable. A plant of 1 million litres per day (mld) would cost an estimated Rs 10 crore. BMC will be also taking BARC’s help in grey water recycling and sewerage water treatment to use water for non-potable purpose. Sewerage water treatment costs around Rs 10 per 1,000 litres.
