3 minutes of readingBombayFebruary 1, 2026 08:25 pm IST
In July this year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will begin excavation work for its ambitious underground water tunnel project that will stretch between Kasheli in Thane district and North Mumbai’s Mulund district in the eastern suburbs. The 7.1 kilometer long water supply tunnel is designed to transport water to various water pockets from the Bhatsa dams, one of the seven lakes that supply drinking water to Mumbai.
On Sunday morning, BombayMunicipal commissioner and state-appointed administrator Bhushan Gagrani conducted a site visit. Officials said that a 134-metre launch shaft is currently being constructed at Mulund and once the shaft is ready, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) will begin excavation of the tunnel.
Once completed, the civic body will start using this tunnel for water supply, taking advantage of the existing pipeline network as a backup. The proposed work on the tunnel also comes in the wake of ongoing work to widen the Mumbai-Nashik Expressway and in a bid to improve water security in the city by providing an alternative to existing surface water pipelines.
According to senior officials, while the tunnel will marginally increase water supply, the main objective of the project is to secure the water supply assets of the megalopolis.
“For now, the pipelines are in the ground, which is a risk. Once this project is complete, we want to supply water through this tunnel, while maintaining the pipeline as a backup. The project is more about securing water supply assets than augmenting them,” an official said.
“As a safety measure, a city should always have a backup plan. When there is no backup plan, the entire city runs the risk of having its water supply cut off in the event of any eventuality, such as damage,” the official added.
Tenders for this project were launched in 2024, after which preliminary work began. The BMC has set a deadline of 2030 for the completion of this project.