Rs5 crore to be spent plugging city’s biggest pipe leak at Malad

More than two months after illegal digging of a bore well, near Marve Road in Malad, damaged portions of an underground water tunnel, repair work is finally ready to begin.

Civic officials said that Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) has quoted an estimate of nearly Rs5crore for the repair work. A statement regarding the repair plan is likely to be tabled before the civic standing committee on Tuesday.

The Malad water tunnel has been leaking 5 million litres of water daily ever since it was damaged on February 17. After grappling with technical difficulties in undertaking repairs on the 250-feet deep tunnel, BMC approached infrastructure firm HCC for the work.

On Monday, the strategy for the repair work was finalised. As per the plan, the hydraulic department will de-water the tunnel to facilitate repairs.

For the period of the work, which could last a month, the BMC will switch to an old pipeline network to supply water to the region.

HCC engineers will take over from there. Closed circuit cameras will be used to survey the extent of the damage. To stop water from seeping out from the bore-hole accidentally created on the tunnel during the illegal bore well digging, the HCC staff will then used German-made internal expanding packers.

"This will ensure there is no sub-soil water during the repair activity," a senior hydraulic department engineer said.