Mumbai: BMC commissioner Ashwini Bhide on Saturday directed officials to ensure that all seven under-construction sewage treatment plants (STPs) across Mumbai are completed within the stipulated timeline, saying the projects are key to improving the quality of wastewater discharged into the sea.During a visit to the under-construction 454 MLD Malad STP, she directed contractors to adhere to quality standards and deadlines. BMC is building new STPs at Malad, Worli, Bandra, Dharavi, Ghatkopar, Bhandup and Versova under the Mumbai Sewage Disposal Project.Together, the seven plants will have a combined treatment capacity of 2,464 million litres per day (MLD). A 37 MLD STP at Colaba has been operational since April 2020, taking the city’s total planned treatment capacity to 2,501 MLD.Officials said the Malad STP, awarded in July 2022, has a six-year construction period followed by 15 years of operation and maintenance. The plant will use Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) technology to provide secondary treatment to 454 MLD of sewage every day, while 227 MLD will also undergo tertiary treatment.At present, the existing Malad facility carries out only primary treatment before sewage is discharged into the creek. The new plant will include sludge treatment to Class A standards and generate electricity from biogas produced during the treatment process.The commissioner also reviewed the status of the remaining STPs through a presentation and directed contractors to complete all works within schedule. According to the BMC, once the projects are commissioned, they are expected to significantly improve coastal water quality and marine ecology while benefiting residents in the western suburbs, including Dahisar, Borivli, Kandivli, Malad and Goregaon.
