The Commissioner of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) Saurabh Rao recently inaugurated the much-awaited work on the construction of a new pump house and water channel as part of the STEM project aimed at enhancing water supply to Thane, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, and Mira-Bhayandar municipal areas. The new pump house will have a capacity of 500 million liters, and a 12-kilometer-long water channel will be laid as part of the initiative.

The Rs. 278 crore project, which was approved by the former Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in October 2024, is aimed at improving the water carrying capacity of the STEM project, which has been facing challenges due to outdated infrastructure. The new pump house and water channel are expected to increase efficiency, reduce water leakage, and address the growing demand for water in these municipal areas.

Commissioner Saurabh Rao emphasized that although the project has been allotted two years for completion, the work should be finished within one and a half years to ensure uninterrupted water supply. He also highlighted that if additional water is required in the future, the new system will be able to handle it.

The new system will help save power by reducing the number of pumps required to lift water from nine to six, resulting in significant energy savings. The current pump house, which was built in 1985, has been unable to meet the increasing water demands due to its age and the deterioration of water channels.

The project includes the construction of the new pump house at Shahad along the Ulhas riverbed, laying a 9 km water channel carrying impure water from Shahad to Temghar, and a 3 km clean water pipeline from Temghar to Mankoli main distribution tank.

Additional Commissioner Prashant Rode and Managing Director of STEM Sanket Gharat were also present at the inauguration, with Gharat expressing confidence that the project would bring substantial savings in electricity while increasing the efficiency of the water supply system.

Currently, the STEM project supplies 300 million litres of water to Thane, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Mira-Bhayandar municipalities, and several villages in the Zilla Parishad area.