Mumbai: Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday inaugurated Phase 1 of the Dahisar River Rejuvenation and Beautification Project and said the sewage treatment plant (STP) model developed along the river should emerge as a “role model” for the rest of the country.Speaking at the inauguration in Dahisar, Goyal said cleaning rivers cannot be achieved by the BMC alone and urged citizens to stop dumping garbage into water bodies. “The movement to clean the Dahisar river will succeed only when citizens stop throwing waste into the river,” he said.The minister said the project comes at a time when the Centre is working on rejuvenating 350 rivers across the country and added that the Dahisar riverfront has the potential to emerge as a tourism and recreation hub in the future. He also called for desilting, deepening of the river channel and revival of natural water springs along the stretch.According to civic officials, the first phase of the project includes two fully automated sewage treatment plants based on membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology — a 1.5 MLD plant at Sukurwadi in Borivli East and a 5 MLD plant at Indiranagar in Dahisar West. The treated water will be used for non-potable purposes such as road cleaning, gardening, construction work and vehicle washing.Officials said the project aims to improve a 4.75-km stretch of the river and includes the construction of 4.4km of sewer lines, interceptors to divert sewage flow and development of service roads along the river. Civic authorities said the project is expected to significantly reduce sewage discharge into the river and improve environmental conditions in the surrounding areas.Goyal also said the project would help mitigate flooding during the monsoon and urged elected representatives to ensure regular garbage removal from the river through the civic machinery.Deputy mayor Sanjay Ghadi also appealed to citizens not to litter the river and called for action against habitual offenders dumping waste into water bodies. Local MLA Manisha Chaudhary said the rehabilitation process for project-affected persons would be accelerated and added that 1,244 affected families would be provided housing under the project.
