Digging For Water

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is confident of meeting the August 2012 deadline for the 12-km underground water tunnel from Marol Maroshi in Andheri to Ruparel College in Mahim. In January,officials had said that 61.7 per cent of the work was complete. On Tuesday they said 70 per cent of the work is over.

Rajendra Borse,deputy chief engineer of BMC’s water supply projects department,said a 10-km stretch has already been drilled. “Only two km of drilling is left. The concrete work is progressing as per schedule and six km of concretisation has been done. Overall around 70 per cent of the work has been completed,” said Borse.

The Rs 415-crore project was taken up in 2007 to replace the oil Tansa main pipelines that are over 80 years old. The tunnel is expected to improve water supply to Vakola,Mahim,Dadar and Malabar Hill. A 90-foot shaft has been laid to build the tunnel and excavation is being done using the tunnel boring technique. The tunnel,that will supply 1,100 million litres daily,will connect Ruparel College to Dr E Moses Road tunnel that supplies water to Malabar Hill.