Pune News: Preliminary Work Begins For Khadakwasla-Phursungi Tunnel, Awaits Environment ClearanceÂ
Pune News: Preliminary Work Begins For Khadakwasla-Phursungi Tunnel, Awaits Environment Clearance (representational image )
Road construction, labor tent setup, and site preparation underway as officials await final approval.
Pune: While the environmental approval for the Khadakwasla-Phursungi tunnel project is in its final stages, the irrigation department has commenced preliminary work that does not require environmental clearance. This includes road construction, setting up labor camps, and site cleaning to facilitate logistics.
The non-environment-related preliminary work has begun. We are in the process of obtaining clearance from the forests and environment department to initiate the main construction work, with files currently under review at Mantralaya.
Once the public hearing is completed and the environmental clearance is granted, full-scale excavation work will begin within a month. The project, estimated at ₹1,600 crore, is expected to be completed in four years.
The proposal to the State Environmental Assessment Committee a year ago. After providing a government resolution (GR) in August 2024 following state approval, we anticipate receiving clearance next month, allowing the authority to start tunnel construction.
The 28-kilometer tunnel, part of the larger 34-kilometer canal project, aims to address significant water loss due to leakage, theft, and evaporation from the Khadakwasla Dam. The existing canal’s carrying capacity has dropped by 58%, allowing only 1,200 cusecs of the 2,050 cusecs of released water to reach its destination. The new tunnel is expected to enhance the flow to 1,500 cusecs.
The Maharashtra government has sanctioned ₹2,200 crore for the project, with ₹1,600 crore already allocated for construction. Megha Engineers has been awarded the contract, and environmental impact assessments have considered groundwater levels, vegetation, tree cover, and noise pollution.
