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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will transform seven of its sewage-treatment plants into revenue-earning units by selling about 1,200 MLD of chemically processed recycled water annually to companies including Tata Power, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) at a rate of INR 1 per kilolitre. The scheme is expected to bring in around INR 43.80 crore a year, once the upgrades to the plants in Worli, Ghatkopar, Versova, Malad, Bandra, Bhandup and Dharavi are complete.
The BMC has announced that its seven sewage-treatment plants will not only treat waste but also generate income by selling recycled water. The municipal body plans to charge INR 1 for each kilolitre of recycled water and expects the initiative to yield about INR 43.80 crore annually. Advertisement
The seven plants under redevelopment are located in Worli, Ghatkopar, Versova, Malad, Bandra, Bhandup and Dharavi. At present, they treat sewage only for safe discharge into water bodies. The upgrade will allow chemical processing so that the treated sewage can be reused. The BMC's Additional Commissioner, Abhijeet Bangar, said the plants together currently collect approximately 2,500 MLD of sewage. Once the redevelopment is complete estimated between 2026 and 2027 about 1,200 MLD will be eligible for sale.
Bangar added that negotiations are in advanced stages with BPCL, HPCL and Tata Power. The BMC is assessing the specific water-quality and quantity needs of these companies. All three are located along a corridor near the Ghatkopar plant, and a 15-kilometre pipeline is planned to link them; the companies will share the pipeline cost.
A senior official involved in the project said that even though the plants combined capacity is 2,500 MLD, only about half may be recycled under the scheme. To be considered reusable, water must meet the standards set by the National Green Tribunal: biochemical oxygen demand should be up to 10 mg per litre and total suspended solids up to 5 mg per litre. Once these standards are met, the recycled water can be used for purposes such as gardening, vehicle washing and by IT firms.
This step builds on earlier efforts by the BMC to promote recycled-water use. For example, in 2020 the BMC offered a 5 % property-tax rebate to housing societies that used recycled sewage-plant water. Such measures reflect the growing focus on sustainable water management in Mumbai. Moreover, the seven plants now being upgraded are part of a broader wastewater-management push: by mid-2025 the BMC was reported to have completed 30-50 % of the work on these plants which together will treat around 2,464 MLD of sewage.
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