
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (MCGM/BMC) is developing the Ghatkopar–Bhandup Tertiary Treated Water Conveyance Tunnel Project to facilitate the underground conveyance and reuse of tertiary treated water. The project comprises underground tunnel sections connecting the Ghatkopar Wastewater Treatment Facility to the Bhandup Wastewater Treatment Facility and further to the Bhandup Complex.
The tunnel is being constructed through predominantly hard basalt rock conditions at significant underground depths beneath a densely developed urban area. To carry out the tunnelling works, the contractor Apco Infratech Pvt. Ltd. has relied on Herrenknecht mechanized tunnelling technology and has ordered a Main Beam Gripper TBM with a diameter of 3.8m. The machine will be used for excavation of two tunnel sections, 4.4 and 7.2km respectively, with minimal disturbance to the existing surface infrastructure and utilities.
The project forms part of Mumbai's infrastructure for the conveyance and reuse of tertiary treated water and is intended to support efficient water-resource management and reduce dependence on conventional freshwater resources for suitable non-potable applications.
