Indian Express 19.08.2009
Water projects Centre rejected will be reconsidered: Reddy
With the Assembly polls approaching, both Shiv Sena and local Congress leaders tried to cash in on Mumbai’s water shortage on Tuesday, forcing Union Minister for Urban Development Jaipal Reddy to promise central funding for water projects. Giving in to their demands, Reddy said water projects worth Rs 2,000 crore earlier rejected by the Centre under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) would be reconsidered. A special waste-water treatment plant and a desalination project would be recommended for financial assistance. It would augment and boost the water supply network in the city.
Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of middle-Vaitarna Dam Project that would provide additional 455 million lakh litres of water per day on completion in 2012, Reddy said that Mumbai’s development projects will be given special attention. “We will consider replacing Tansa pipelines and building a tunnel from Gungavali to Bhandup estimated at a cost of Rs 1,100 crore,” Reddy said.
This was announced after Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray and MP and State Minister for Telecom Gurudas Kamat prodded Reddy to give approval for the projects that were earlier rejected. Mumbai and Maharashtra have received maximum funding under JNNURM and therefore further financial assistance for these two projects were rejected earlier this year.
“Although the middle-Vaitarna project will provide drinking water, the population will increase by the time the project is completed. Desalination projects require huge money but the citizens of Mumbai deserve it. Centre will have to provide for 90 per cent of the funds but I will take this project ahead and talk to the finance minister,” Reddy added. He also said that water treatment plant on lines of that in Singapore to purify sewerage water will also be considered.
Mayor Shubha Raul said Mumbai is surrounded by sea on three sides and therefore desalination projects should be given approval so that sea water can be treated and made potable. “If we use sea water, then we would not have to depend on rainfall. The Centre should also provide funds for Gargai and Pinjal water projects,” said Uddhav.
Kamat and Congress Mumbai chief Kripa Shankar Singh also demanded the Centre’s approval and financial assistance for the project.
The BMC, on the demand of Sena corporators had a few years back, asked IIT-Bombay to study the treatment of sea water to make it potable and the process was found to be way costlier than treatment of sewerage water and was therefore termed as not feasible.
