3 Bidders for Dharavi – Ghatkopar Water Tunnel’s Contract in Mumbai

3 firms – Afcons Infrastructure, Ceigall India and Welspun Enterprises have bid to construct a new water conveyance tunnel between Dharavi Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) and Ghatkopar WWTF in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

This 8.485 km long tunnel by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will supply water to the central & eastern suburbs of Mumbai. TATA Consulting Engineers (TCE) has been engaged by BMC as the project’s design consultant.

BMC requires the use of at least one full face rock tunnel boring machine (TBM) to construct its 3.5m diameter tunnel. Two extremely deep shafts with a diameter of 12m will be built at Dharavi (144m deep) and Ghatkopar (152m deep) by drilling and controlled blasting method with reinforced concrete supporting arrangement such as circular well/secant piling etc.

BMC had invited bids for its construction in August 2024 with an unknown estimate and 7.64 year construction deadline. Technical bids were opened today to reveal 3 firms had bid for it – Afcons, Ceigall and Welpsun.

BMC’s Brief Scope: Design and Construction of Tunnel from Dharavi WWTF to Ghatkopar WWTF

The bids have now been sent for technical bid evaluation which can take a month to complete. When that is done, the financial bids of the technically qualified bidders will be opened to reveal who’s the lowest bidder and most likely contractor.

This tunnel is part of a larger water tunnel project with another 11.61 km tunnel approved to connect Ghatkopar WWTF – Bhandup WWTF – Bhandup Complex. Back in August, APCO Infratech was declared as the lowest bidder for its construction after narrowly beating Afcons.

Speaking of tunnels, earlier this month BMC issued LOAs for the construction of another 2 water tunnels:

• 14.1 km Yewai Master Balancing Reservoir to Kasheli (Bhiwandi) – awarded to APCO Infratech
• 7 km Kasheli (Bhiwandi) to Mulund’s Octroi Naka – awarded to Afcons Infrastructure

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– TMRG