The City and Industrial Development Corporation's (CIDCO) Hetawane Water Supply Augmentation Scheme is almost finished. Once completed, it will give Navi Mumbaikars a more reliable water supply.
The project achieved a major milestone in July, when engineers completed 777 metres of tunnelling in a single month using a tunnel-boring machine called Flamingo. This set a new national record. The previous record of 653 metres was achieved earlier this year in the Amar Mahal II Tunnel project in Mumbai.
The scheme is being built in packages. In Package 1, a section of 8.7 kilometres is being developed. A tunnel-boring machine with a 3.2-meter diameter is being used for this work. The contractor, Afcons Infrastructure, has already finished 4.2 kilometres.
Afcons had also crossed the industry average in May by completing 714 metres in one month. As per reports, the tunnelling was not easy. The alignment passes through amygdaloidal basalt rocks of the Sahyadri range. Engineers faced problems in transporting muck over four kilometres.
There was also a shortage of space to place equipment. Adaptive tunnelling methods were used to handle these difficulties. Once done, the project will provide long-term water security for the Navi Mumbai and Panvel Municipal Corporation areas.
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