BMC notifies nearly 200 properties about it’s underground water tunnel project

“Notices are being sent as a formality, and to invite suggestions and objections. Residents will not have to evict their premises. The tunnel will pass, at least 125 mt below the surface, which is very deep, and so it’s unlikely that the tunnel will cause any inconvenience to the properties above,” said a senior official.

Officials said that notices are being sent to keep residents in the loop about civil works underway. The officials also maintained that before initiating the project, BMC had carried an impact assessment survey to ensure that properties would not be damaged.

BMC’s notice states that boring work for the tunnel will begin October 1 onwards. “As provided under section 226 (2), of Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, you are now called upon to show cause within 30 days, as to why such a tunnel shouldn’t be constructed and such related work shouldn’t be undertaken,” reads the notice.

The water conveyance tunnel will extend from Thane’s Kasheli to Mulund in the eastern suburbs. Once complete, BMCwill begin to utilise this tunnel for water supply, while rendering the existing network of pipelines as a back-up. The proposed work on the tunnel also comes in the wake of ongoing work to widen the Mumbai-Nashik highway, and in a bid to improve the city’s water security by providing an alternative to existing surface water pipelines.

As per senior officials, while the tunnel will marginally augment water supply, the project’s main objective is to secure water-supply assets of the megapolis. “As of now, pipelines are laid on the ground, which is a risk. Once this project is complete, we want to supply water through this tunnel, while we keep the pipeline as a back-up. The project is more about securing water-supply assets rather than augmentation,” an official said

“As a security measure, a city should always have a backup plan. When there is no such back-up, the whole city runs the risk of water supply being cut off in case of any eventuality, such as damage,” the official added.