The civic body has long been planning to construct desalination plants to make sea water potable but repeatedly put it off citing high costs. While rate of the BMC-supplied potable water is Rs 7 per kilolitre, water treated by desalination plant will cost around Rs 50 per kilolitre.

The first such desalination plant is likely to come up at Versova. After the BMC invited expression of interest (EOI), 15 firms have come forward with proposals. “At this stage, these companies will study the feasibility of setting up the plants. These will be set up close to places such as Versova, Navy Nagar in Colaba, M/East and M/West wards that undergo chronic water scarcity,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner Anil Diggikar. He added that the study would be concluded in six months and it would take six more months to set up the plant.

Sources said the plant will produce 2 million litres of water a day. Depending upon it feasibility, the full-scale plant, treating 25 mld water, will be set up later.