E-Paper
Water tunnel to replace Khadakwasla Dam-Phursungi open canal
The irrigation department plans to build the tunnel to replace the existing open canal that carries water to the city
The survey of building a 28-km-long tunnel from Khadakwasla Dam to Phursungi has been completed and the project cost is estimated to be ₹2,200 crore. The irrigation department plans to build the tunnel to replace the existing open canal that carries water to the city. Officials said the tunnel will save 2.5 TMC (thousand cubic metre feet) water per annum.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) carried out the survey to identify the land between Khadakwasla Dam to Phursungi that will be available once the open canal is replaced by the tunnel.
Municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar said on Tuesday, “The survey report is completed and steps have been taken to use the available land for commercial or town planning schemes.”
The irrigation department officials stated that possibility of pollution and water contamination could not be ruled out in existing open canal, besides water leakage was high.
Land measuring between 500metre and 1000metre width is found at many places along the open canal with some areas falling under the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) and maximum part in PMC area.
The irrigation department’s chief engineer and state-level technical committee had given approval for the tunnel and the project would get completed in three years once.
As per the plan, the tunnel would be 7.80 metre in width and 3.90 metre in height.
