In a unique boost to the city’s water network, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to build two 1,800 mm water pipelines inside the twin tunnels being built as part of the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project. While improving east-west connection in the city, the country’s largest TBM tunnels will be removed to make room for a new supply channel that will transport water from the Bhandup water treatment plant to the western suburbs.
The 6.5-kilometer-long GMLR’s twin tunnels, which run beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), have been hailed as a solution to traffic congestion on the existing east-west arteries. According to surveys, it will connect Film City in the western suburbs to Mulund and relieve 40% of current traffic on JVLR once completed.
The twin tunnels, with an external diameter of up to 14.49 metres, are set to be the country’s largest TBM tunnels. To maximise utility, the BMC has designed a novel plan for the building of two 1,800 mm water pipelines inside the tunnels. These water mains, which will be embedded inside the TBM tunnels, will follow the tunnel’s route and feed water straight from the Bhandup Water Treatment Plant, which is located close to the tunnel alignment to Goregaon in the western suburbs.
Work on the proposed water lines is being done in collaboration with the hydraulic engineering department’s planning and research division. Additionally, the tunnel will include 600-mm pipe channels for electricity cables and other network lines.
The project began in July of this year, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi performing the Bhoomi Poojan ceremony on the GMLR’s twin tunnels. The BMC has set an October 2028 deadline for completion of the work, which is estimated to cost more than Rs 6,500 crore when updated.
Source: The Indian Express
