Afcons Infrastructure Ltd on December 29 said it has achieved the first tunnel breakthrough in the City and Industrial Development Corporation’s Hetawane Water Supply Scheme in Wahal village, Navi Mumbai, as per a regulatory filing.
The company said the project is expected to be completed six months ahead of schedule and will help address water supply challenges in Navi Mumbai. The breakthrough was achieved in water tunnel package-1 of the project, which involves the construction of an 8.7 km treated water tunnel. Afcons said 5.52 km of tunnelling work has been completed so far.
According to Afcons, this marks the first tunnel breakthrough across all CIDCO projects, setting a national tunnelling record through innovative construction practices. Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Executive Chairman of Afcons, said the milestone was achieved despite geological and logistical challenges and added that the project will be completed ahead of schedule while maintaining high safety and quality standards.
The Hetawane Water Supply Scheme also includes the construction of a 13.25 km raw water tunnel and a 15.4 km treated water tunnel. CIDCO said the project aims to increase water supply to Navi Mumbai’s developing areas, raising the capacity from 120 million litres per day to 270 million litres per day.
Vijay Singhal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of CIDCO, said the tunnel breakthrough represents a historic achievement, following the recent inauguration of the first flight from Navi Mumbai International Airport, highlighting CIDCO’s ongoing infrastructure developments. The successful tunnelling milestone is expected to accelerate project timelines and improve water availability for residents in Navi Mumbai.
