Mumbai: A proposal to construct two underground water supply tunnels will be placed before the standing committee of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday.
The first tunnel will be 5.5-km long from Amar Mahal junction to Trombay reservoir, while the second one will be 9.7-km long from Amar Mahal junction to Parel via Wadala. The first tunnel passes under Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
Bids were invited last year and the lowest bids turned out to be higher than the BMC estimates. Estimates were revised and a review was undertaken by IIT Bombay, which validated the fresh bids, following which bidders were chosen.
The BMC has recommended M/s Patel Engineering Ltd for the first tunnel at a cost of ₹907 crore (including taxes). For the second tunnel, M/s Soma Enterprises Ltd has emerged as the lowest bidder. The total cost of this project is ₹1,359 crore (including taxes).
“These tunnels are aimed to streamline supply and cater to Mumbai’s water needs for the next 50 years. Tunnels are more efficient than pipelines which are prone to corrosion,” a senior official from hydraulic engineer’s department said.
Tansa main pipelines that supply water from Bhandup complex to the entire city are decades-old and often rupture. Leakages not only waste hundreds of litres of water, but also lead to contamination.