Mumbai is using treated sewage water to wash roads to fight rising air pollution. Officials said, “Road washing is a primary aspect of controlling pollution levels.” The BMC plans to clean 677 km of roads using 29 tankers. This move helps save fresh water during the city’s current 10 per cent supply cut.
The drive is undertaken annually. However, Mumbai is currently facing a water shortage, with a 10 per cent cut in supply following deficient monsoon rainfall and the early withdrawal of the southwest monsoon. The civic standing committee stalled the proposal, calling the use of water on roads “insensitive”.
With several pockets of the city recording unhealthy and poor air quality in recent weeks, civic officials are now considering treated sewage water as an alternative for road washing. The BMC’s Mumbai Air Pollution Mitigation Plan (MAPMP) identifies the resuspension of road dust as a major contributor to worsening air pollution in the city.
“A quantity of water for cleaning the roads will be drawn from the Colaba STP. The treated water from this STP is not being used for any potable purpose and is supplied to the garden and roads department and private stakeholders for landscaping. Therefore, it will be absolutely feasible to use STP water for road washing,” a civic official told The Indian Express.
The BMC also plans to hire private tankers for the exercise. Around 29 tankers, each with a capacity of 10,000 litres, are expected to be deployed. With the average hiring cost at Rs 5,000 per tanker, the civic body will spend around Rs 1.45 lakh daily, or Rs 1.74 crore to Rs 2.17 crore over a four-to-five-month drive.
The BMC is constructing seven large STPs in Worli, Dharavi, Bandra, Versova, Malad, Ghatkopar and Bhandup, with a combined treatment capacity of 1,200 MLD. Of these, the Bhandup facility is expected to be ready by December this year. Once operational, the plant, with a capacity of 215 MLD, is expected to supply treated water for road washing, officials said.
“Road washing is a primary aspect of controlling pollution levels. Therefore, the drive will be necessary. Mumbai is already facing low wind speeds and high pollution levels, so water sprinkling needs to be carried out regularly,” the official said.
The BMC plans to wash and sprinkle water on 377 public roads spanning 677 km, accounting for 33 per cent of the city’s total road length. These roads pass through areas including Colaba, Churchgate, Worli, Lower Parel, Andheri, Ghatkopar, Mankhurd, Deonar, Mulund, and Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), several of which have recorded elevated AQI levels in recent days.