‘No funds to treat water and make it potable’

While NMMC is treating around 200 mld water in their sewage treatment plants, the treated water is fit only for washing and gardening purposes. It is far from potable as BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Level) and COD (Chemical Oxygen Level) is high in it.

For making water potable the BOD and COD level should be zero. According to NMMC officials, in their treated water BOD level is five and COD level is slightly more than zero. So even after installing pipelines spending crores of rupees the civic body will not be able to distribute this water for drinking.

Navi Mumbai municipal commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said that they are unable to make treated water potable due to lack of the latest technologies.

“First of all I would like say that our BOD level in the treated water is five while that is above 80 in other corporations. Our COD is level is almost zero as chemical water from industries does not come to the STPs. We water treating only sewage water and not industrial water,” he said.

“Treating the sewage water to make it potable is possible only through the latest technologies. But we don’t have that because of insufficient fund. Several rounds of discussions have been held about it, but nothing has been finalised yet,” he said.

The NMMC charges only Rs1,500 for 30,000 litres of water and hence generating revenue from it to purchase advanced equipment is not possible.

“The NMMC is spending crores of rupees for other projects which have little relation with the day to day life of the common people. But when it comes to spending money to alleviate water crisis they say that they are lacking fund. Several people having a tough time in the city as they are getting water only three to four hours a day. Civic official should try to understand that too,” said Lokesh Sutar, 48, a resident of Nerul.

The NMMC used to supply 421 MLD water in their jurisdiction last year.

However, with insufficient water in their Morbe dam this year they are supplying just 300 MLD now.