26 December,2025 07:45 PM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet Jadhav
As of now, 5.52 km of tunnelling work has been completed.
The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) is set to create history by achieving its first-ever tunnel breakthrough in the augmentation of Hetawane Water Supply Scheme on December 29. The milestone, scheduled at shaft-4 in Wahal Village under water tunnel package-1 (PKG-1), marks a first across all CIDCO projects.
The ambitious project aims to meet the growing water demand in developing regions of Navi Mumbai. It involves the construction of a 13.25-kilometre raw water tunnel and a 15.4-kilometre treated water tunnel. Once completed, the scheme will boost CIDCO's water supply capacity from 120 million litres per day (MLD) to 270 MLD.
Afcons Infrastructure Ltd is executing PKG-1, which includes 8.7 km of treated water tunnel. As of now, 5.52 km of tunnelling work has been completed. CIDCO engineers and the Afcons team have successfully overcome extreme geological, engineering and logistical challenges to reach this stage. The tunnelling runs approximately 100 metres below ground through complex formations, including Amygdaloidal basalt in the Deccan Sahyadri region. Tight space constraints and critical mucking arrangements for the TBM were effectively managed to ensure smooth progress.
Earlier in the project, Afcons set a new national tunnelling record by achieving 777 metres of tunnelling in a single month using the 3.2-metre-diameter Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Flamingo, surpassing its own previous record of 714 metres in May this year.
The tunnel breakthrough is expected to further accelerate the project, reinforcing CIDCO's commitment to meeting the water needs of Navi Mumbai's rapidly developing areas.
