The Gargai and Pinjal dams will be built earlier than scheduled and simultaneously, the former by the BMC and the latter by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
The original targets were 2020 for Gargai and 2025 for Pinjal. Amid a water crisis triggered by a weak monsoon, the decision to rope in the MMRDA and fast-track the projects was taken by the government in a meeting with BMC officials recently. “We hope to complete construction by 2015 so that the year’s monsoon water can be tapped,” said municipal commissioner Swadheen Kshatriya.
According to a study by consultant Mott McDonald, the Gargai project would yield 227 million litres a day (mld) and Pinjal 1,475 mld. Gargai being a smaller project, Kshatriya said, the BMC will be in a better position to undertake it on a priority basis after the completion of the Middle Vaitarna project in 2012. “Pinjal will be a multi-utility dam and part of the water will be used for irrigation,” he said, explaining the decision to let MMRDA handle it.
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