The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has scrapped the tender process for establishing a 200 million liters per day (MLD) desalination plant at Manori, Malad, in Mumbai, following an insufficient response from bidders, reports The Times of India.
This comes after several deadline extensions and even the cancellation of a previous tender after receiving bids. The project was being tendered using the Swiss Challenge method and was set to be executed under a Design Build Operate (DBO) model.
Earlier, Israeli company IDE Water Technologies Ltd had submitted designs for the plant. In 2022, the BMC brought on SMEC India as a consultant to assess the design, evaluate the concept, and review the tender documents. They were also tasked with overseeing the project's implementation.
This desalination plant would have been the first of its kind in Maharashtra, and officials highlighted the absence of comprehensive data on the quality of water in the region, particularly regarding variations in salt concentrations and the impact of seasonal and tidal changes. The 200 MLD plant, with the potential to expand to 400 MLD, was planned to be built on a 12-hectare site at Manori. The project, with an estimated cost of ₹3,600 crore, aimed to enhance Mumbai's water supply, which currently falls short. The city requires around 4,200 MLD of water daily, while the BMC is only able to provide 3,800 MLD.
Congress leader Sachin Sawant previously raised concerns that the short tendering process was an attempt to ensure IDE would secure the project.
