At a cost of Rs 72 crore, the project was constructed under the Centre’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and involved laying of additional water pipelines, modifying the existing pumping station and augmenting the filtration plant at Temghar, in order to lift water from a weir at Bhatsa and in the Pise region.

The existing water supply of Thane city is 390 mld, set to rise to 500 mld with the addition of this project. The new scheme will be able to fulfill the water supply needs for an estimated population of 22 lakh till 2016, it is estimated.

Thane city has witnessed a growth of six-seven per cent per annum. “In the last few years, Ghodbunder Road has developed rapidly with a number of high-rises and housing complexes. The hilly areas on the northern side of Thane were also deprived of adequate water. Now all these places will get sufficient water,” he added. “We could neither stop development or tell builders to go slow on construction. Upgradation of the existing infrastructure was most necessary.”