Greater Mumbai to have almost 24x7 water supply: Cabinet

New Delhi, Feb 22 (UNI) Greater Mumbai will soon have almost 24x7 water supply following today's approval by the Centre of a Rs 1,329.5 crore project for ensuring an additional supply of 455 million litres a day of the precious commodity.

The Greater Mumbai IV-Middle Vaitarna Water Supply Project was given the green signal at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The project, which will become operational in 2011, will be set up under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM), Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters.

The Centre will meet 35 per cent (Rs 465.33 crore) of the project cost, while the Maharashtra government will contribute 15 per cent (Rs 199.42 crore) -- both in the form of grant. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) will bear 50 per cent (Rs 664.75 crore) of the estimated cost.

The CCEA also approved the release of the grant amount which will be considered as additional central assistance.

At present, 3,203 million litres of water is available to MCGM from various sources situated at distances ranging from 80 km to 160 km.

The projected demand for water is estimated to be 3,814 million litres a day in 2011.

The water project approved today will take the total availability to 3,658 million litres a day, leaving a demand-supply gap of only 156 million litres.

With this, the residents' dependence on the costly private water supply through tankers will come down drastically, Mr Chidambaram said.

UNI