01/12/2020
* Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation *
* Department of Public Relations *
_Newspaper_Date: 30.11.2020_
* Water department ready for challenging repairs to British-era Tansa (East) main aqueduct *
* Repair will be done at Gawde Chowk in G / South Division, work will be started on 2nd and 3rd December 2020 *
The challenging task of repairing a major leak on the British-era 1450 mm diameter Tansa (East) main aqueduct at Gawde Chowk, Senapati Bapat Marg in the ‘G South’ section will be undertaken on 2nd and 3rd December 2020. After the leak was discovered about ten days ago, it was temporarily repaired and the leak was stopped. Now the system of water works sub-division is ready for complete and original repairs.
A leak of 1450 mm diameter Tansa (East) aqueduct will be repaired at Gawde Chowk near Deepak Cinema within the limits of G-South section. This navy dates back to the British period. This work is relatively challenging as it needs to be repaired underground and under water. This work will be done through the sub-division of Assistant Engineer (Water Works) (Emergency Repair Division) in the Water Engineering Department of BMC.
On November 18, 2020, the administration received a message that the navy had a major leak and that the road was damaged. At that time, the Emergency Repair Department of the Water Department (Worli) immediately rushed to the spot with all the machinery and undertook the repair work.
Initially, the leak detection team excavated at the location fixed by the ultrasounding rod method. The excavation starts continuously for about 2 to 3 days. The aqueduct was likely to pass under the main gutter as well as the main rainwater drain. The excavation of Tata Power's high-voltage power lines was also hampered. Therefore, the excavation was very complicated and risky. However, with skill and coordination, the Water Works Repair Department carried it out properly. What is special is that while doing this work, this work was done from outside without shutting off the water supply in the concerned area and department.
After digging about 25 to 30 feet, it was observed that a large leak was occurring in the 1450 mm diameter Tansa (East) aqueduct. The aqueduct was 25 feet deep in the ground, with a large leak at the bottom. With untiring efforts, first a wooden wedge was driven into the place of the leak and M.S. The leak was prevented with the help of a patch screw jack. However, it was observed that water was leaking from the bottom on the front side of the aqueduct. There was likely to be another major leak. An attempt was made to close the leak. However, it was not possible to dig deeper because of the hard rock below. So the next repair was to put a manhole on the aqueduct and go inside. Due to this, major repair work has been undertaken on 1st and 2nd December.
To repair this, another pit was dug near the leak. Excavation at a depth of 15 to 20 feet has been completed there. The pit is secured by placing shoaring plates neatly on all sides of the pit, so that no stone-soil falls into the pit. Also, two 24 inch manholes have been installed on the aqueduct by dry welding. The plan is to submerge the water inside the aqueduct through one manhole with a submersible pump, and the other manhole can be easily repaired by the workers without interrupting the pumps. All the machinery required for this work has been inspected and kept ready.
The main valve on the aqueduct will be closed after 8 am on December 2, after which both manholes will be cut and the water in the aqueduct will be completely drained. A full inspection will then be carried out inside the aqueduct. The repair work will be started by estimating the extent of damage to the aqueduct due to the leak and the number of leaks. The work is planned to be completed by 3 pm on December 3, 2020. There will be no water supply in some areas of ‘G South’ and ‘G North’ sections during this repair period. In some areas, water will be supplied at low pressure.
Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Shri. P. Velarasu, Deputy Commissioner (Special Engineering) and Water Engineer and Shri. Under the guidance of Ajay Rathore, Deputy Water Engineer (Preservation) Shri. Vibhute, Deputy Water Engineer (City) Shri. Kamalapurkar, Assistant Engineer, Water Works Department Shri. Jeevan Patil and his team will repair it. Citizens of the area concerned are urged to co-operate with the municipal administration during the repair period.
