Navi Mumbai: In a bid to meet the projected water demand of 1,257 million litres per day (MLD) by the year 2050, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has embarked on a series of critical water infrastructure projects across Navi Mumbai.

These initiatives aim to support the city’s rapid development and ensure sustainable water supply to areas under CIDCO’s jurisdiction, a statement released by the planning authority on Friday, said.

One of the key initiatives is the augmentation of the Hetawane Water Supply Scheme, which is currently progressing in four phases and is expected to be completed by June 2029. According to the latest updates from CIDCO, the water treatment plant is 41% completed, the raw water tunnel has reached 8.5% completion, and 25.7% work on the pure water tunnel has been completed.

To supplement future water needs, CIDCO is developing new sources such as the Kondhane Dam on the Ulhas River. The project will initially supply 250 MLD of water, with plans to increase the capacity to 350 MLD. The expected timeline for completion of both the Kondhane and Balganga dam projects is 4 to 5 years.

In the interim, to bridge the water demand gap, CIDCO has secured additional allocations from existing sources. In August 2020, the Government of Maharashtra sanctioned an additional 120 MLD of water from the Hetawane Dam.

This increased CIDCO’s total allocation from Hetawane to 270 MLD, against a payment of Rs 119.80 crore. CIDCO has appointed expert consultants to redesign and augment the existing supply system to efficiently utilize this increased quota.

The water infrastructure projects are also marking engineering milestones, the statement further said. "In collaboration with Afcons Infrastructure Ltd, CIDCO has made national-level progress using the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) ‘Flamingo’, which is used to excavate 3.2-meter diameter tunnels. The project achieved a national record for the highest single-day progress with 53 meters in March this year and a record-breaking monthly progress of 714 meters in May, surpassing the previous national benchmark of 679 meters in a month," a CIDCO spokesperson said.

CIDCO’s Vice Chairman and Managing Director Vijay Singhal reaffirmed the corporation’s commitment to sustainable water planning. “We are not just meeting today’s demands but building a resilient water infrastructure for the future,” he said.

"These timely and strategic water initiatives are expected to provide a stable and adequate water supply to major development zones including the Navi Mumbai International Airport, the NAINA project, and mass housing townships, wherein it is anticipated that by 2050, the water demand will be upto 1257MLD," the official added.