Mumbai: With deficit in water supply in Mumbai touching 565 million litres per day (MLD), the state government on Friday announced that a 200 MLD desalination project in Manori will become operational within the next four years. The water charge levied on city residents, however, was expected to increase by around 17 paise per litre after the project was commissioned, industries minister Uday Samant told the legislative assembly.Manori desalination plant to be operational in 4 years: SamantSamant, also in charge of the urban development department for legislative business, was replying to a question raised by Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi.The minister informed the assembly that Mumbai currently requires 4,665 MLD water, while the supply available from reservoirs such as Middle Vaitarna, Tansa and Bhatsa is about 4,100 MLD.“This means there is a shortfall of 565 MLD. To bridge this gap, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has undertaken a 200 MLD desalination project at Manori in the western suburbs,” Samant said. The contract for the project has been awarded to JVPR, which has experience in implementing desalination projects in Israel and Jamnagar in Gujarat.“The contract was awarded in December 2025 and the project is expected to be completed within four years,” he said.BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar, however, said the project could become a “liability” and urged the government to obtain an expert opinion on its feasibility.“We are already implementing projects such as the Pinjal and Gargai dams. Despite this, the government is going ahead with the desalination project. An expert opinion should be sought on its feasibility,” he said.Samant admitted that water charges for Mumbai residents would increase after the project became operational.“At present, we levy a water charge of ₹35 per 1,000 litres. The desalination project will increase the cost by about ₹9 per 1,000 litres. This translates into an increase of around 15-17 paise per litre. However, the project will help reduce the city’s water shortfall,” he said.Meanwhile, the state urban development department has given administrative sanction to an underground water tunnel for the desalination plant at Manori. The relevant government resolution (GR) was issued on Friday.The BMC had written to the state government on January 4, 2026 to grant prior approval for construction of a water tunnel from Manori to the BMC Garden at Charkop and further up to Mahavir Nagar, Kandivali, as part of the proposed desalination project.The state has asked the BMC to take permission from the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEF&CC) and also ensure that excavation and construction activities do not adversely affect the structural stability of buildings and structures located along the alignment. A comprehensive geological study of the tunnel alignment shall be carried out before selecting the appropriate Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), the state has said.The BMC has also been told to use measures such as silencers, sound barriers, rubber mats for sludge-handling equipment, and hydraulically operated crane hoisting systems to ensure that noise levels generated during excavation remain below 55 decibels.