In January 2016, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House) reported that the city authority Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had decided against building desalination plants. A state government committee had proposed two pilot plants of 100,000 m³/day each, costing US$147.7 million (Rs 1,000 crore) apiece. The city and Mumbai Port Trust said the 25 acres of shoreline required were not available. A BMC official put desalinated water at Rs 70 per 1,000 litres, against a household tariff of Rs 4.32, and preferred pipelines from sources 100 to 150 km away.
The report showed that a shortage of coastal land and the wide gap to existing water tariffs could weigh against desalination in 2016, even in a water-stressed megacity.