To provide a reliable and uninterrupted clean water supply for the rapidly growing population of Eastern Mumbai, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM/BMC) undertook the Powai-Ghatkopar Water Tunnel Project as part of the overall Veravali-Ghatkopar link. The underground alignment creates a key water transmission link between Powai and the Ghatkopar reservoirs, strengthening the supply network and improving the stability and efficiency of water distribution in the eastern suburbs.

The 2.8-km complex urban tunnelling alignment comprised the section from the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) shaft to the Ghatkopar High-Level Reservoir (HLR) and the section from the HLR to the Ghatkopar Low-Level Reservoir (LLR). Herrenknecht supplied a 2.8m diameter Shielded Gripper TBM, specifically suited for mechanized underground excavation in hard rock geological conditions. The TBM excavated at a depth of approximately 60m, for a tunnel with a finished internal diameter of approximately 2.20m.

The TBM technology enabled accurate and controlled excavation beneath densely populated urban areas while minimizing surface - level disruption. The project represents the application of specialized mechanized tunnelling technology for critical urban water-supply infrastructure in Mumbai.