Mumbai, Sept. 27 -- All 619 families that will be affected by the proposed Gargai dam in Palghar district will be provided a job each in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in addition to land and monetary compensation, Abhijit Bangar, additional municipal commissioner (projects) told Hindustan Times. The affected families reside in Ogda and Khodade villages in Wada taluka which will be fully submerged for the project, aimed at addressing Mumbai's water shortage. The BMC has acquired 400 hectares of land near Devli village in the same taluka, where they will be resettled, Bangar said. Four other villages - Pachghare, Aamle, Phanasgaon, and Tilmal - will be partially submerged by the dam. The predominantly tribal residents of these villages will not need to be relocated, though they will be compensated for land loss, Bangar stated. "The resettlement plan has been well-received by tribal communities due to the assurance of long-term livelihood support," he said. "Land will be compensated with land and monetary support and the residents won't be uprooted completely. Moreover, one person from each family will get a job in the BMC." Mumbai currently receives around 4,000 million litres per day (MLD) of water from various sources but faces a shortfall of about 600 MLD. The Gargai dam - which will be spread over 844 hectares including 658 hectares of forest land that is part of the Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary - will provide around 440 MLD water to the city, significantly reducing the gap in supply. The project will, however, require the felling of nearly 210,000 trees and intrude into the sanctuary area, environmentalists fear. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had, in 2019, shelved the project owing to these concerns. It was revived by the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government as a long-term solution to Mumbai's water supply needs. Bangar acknowledged that the project will entail loss of some forest land, but said it has several advantages. "Relocation of villages will help make the northern part of the sanctuary habitation-free. A state highway passing through the sanctuary and going towards Jawhar and Mokhada will also be shifted, which will allow wildlife to flourish," he said. The BMC is in the process of acquiring around 280 hectares of land in Hingoli district for compensatory afforestation, the additional municipal commissioner (projects) added. "Once the land is secured, it will be handed over to the forest department to initiate the clearance process," he said. The civic body needs to obtain three key permissions before work can commence. While the state wildlife board has approved the project, clearance is pending from the National Wildlife Board. Two other clearances under the Forest Conservation Act pertaining to diversion of forest land are also pending. "Work on the project will start about six months after all clearances are received, following completion of the tender process," Bangar said. A 1-kilometre long tunnel will be built to connect the dam with the Modak Sagar dam to its south, which currently supplies water to Mumbai. "A conveyance system is already in place at Modak Sagar, so no additional expenditure will be needed for transporting water to the city," Bangar said....