Mumbai's Water Supply In Focus: Gargai Dam Project Gets Approval, Construction To Begin Soon

Mumbai's long-pending Gargai Dam project has taken a big step forward. According to a mid-day report, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has approved the wildlife and environmental permissions needed to move ahead. The project is expected to help reduce the city's water shortage.

The dam will be built in Wada, Palghar district, north of Mumbai. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to spend Rs 5,000 crore on it. Once completed, the dam will provide 440 million litres of water daily to Mumbai.

At a meeting held on Thursday at the state secretariat, CM Fadnavis said the dam is important for the city's growing population. He asked the forest department to issue all necessary permissions and send a proper proposal to the National Wildlife Board quickly.

The Maharashtra State Wildlife Board held its 24th meeting under the Chief Minister's leadership. Other officials, including Forest Minister Ganesh Naik and MLAs Ashish Jaiswal and Pankaj Bhoyar, also attended.

The project was first discussed in 2012, but no major steps were taken until 2018. The BMC is still waiting for final clearance from the environment department.

According to officials, 844 hectares of land will be affected by the dam, and the BMC must buy 426 hectares. Around 619 families will also be affected. Once all approvals are received, the construction will take about four years.

Currently, Mumbai needs 4,550 million litres of water daily but gets only 3,950 million litres, leaving a shortfall of 600 million litres. The last major water project for the city was the Middle Vaitarna Dam, completed in 2014.