The project to set up a desalination plant with a capacity of 10 million litres per day (mld) was rejected in 2007 by the defence forces due to security concerns. But when the revised plan was submitted last week, defence officials readily agreed to the plan. “They didn't have much choice, since we could meet only 70% of their demand,” said an official.

Pramod Charankar, deputy municipal commissioner said: “We have received in-principle approval from the western command of the Army and Navy. But the project is still at an early stage and nothing can be disclosed about it until a techno-economic feasibility study is carried out.”
 

Safe Water India will carry out the site’s feasibility study which a senior civic official from the BMC says: “… will help us identify a suitable technology for desalination, chalk out a financial framework and a distribution network for treated water. Though reverse osmosis (RO) desalination is popular, as of now we can't rule out the use of other technologies such as electrodialysis and vacuum freezing.”

The proposed reverse osmosis desalination plant at Colaba will use sea water directly through offshore intakes and will apply high pressure and membrane technology to remove salt and other dissolved minerals from brackish water.