Mumbai water project gets Centre's nod

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials have expressed hope that the Damanganga-Pinjal project will take off soon following the green signal received from the Centre. The project involves the diversion of surplus water from Gujarat’s Damanganga river to the Pinjal river in Jawhar taluka in Palghar district and will prove to be a boost for the city of Mumbai.

For this ambitious project, the central government has decided to divert an additional 909 million litres of water daily from Damanganga River to the Pinjal project. The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has completed the feasibility report for the project.

The Gujarat and Maharashtra governments and the ministry of water resources in the Centre had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2010 on the Damanganga-Pinjal Link Project. The Maharashtra government will receive the benefits through the Damanganga-Pinjal Link Project by way of augmentation of water supply to meet the domestic water requirement of Mumbai.

A senior BMC official of the water supply project said, “The Centre has given its approval to sign the MoU again, which is likely to offer more water to irrigation projects in the state. The share of BMC and the rest of the state will now be decided later. But we hope that the earlier share of BMC will remain the same.”

According to civic officials, the BMC is expected to get 909 mld water daily from this project, which will ensure drinking water supply to Mumbai till 2060. As an addition to Damanganga project, the BMC has decided to construct a dam on Pinjal river at Khindse village in Jawhar taluka in Palghar district. With a catchment area of 316 sq km, the Rs 8,000 crore project will supply 865 mld water to Mumbai.