Residents of Mulund, in Mumbai’s eastern suburbs, will face an 18-hour water supply disruption between Thursday and Friday due to ongoing infrastructure work on the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR). According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the interruption is required for the construction of a bridge that forms a vital component of the ambitious project. Ahead of the bridge’s piling activities, civic engineers need to realign a 1,200 mm water pipeline that delivers water from a nearby reservoir to Mulund. Officials said this precautionary shutdown was necessary to ensure safety and prevent potential damage to the pipeline during construction.
The BMC clarified that the affected water channel will remain completely shut while the alignment is adjusted. Authorities noted that any direct intervention on the live pipeline could cause a rupture, leading to extensive disruptions. The suspension will be in effect for 18 hours, beginning at 10 am on August 21 and continuing until 4 am on August 22. Civic officials explained that the diversion of the pipeline is crucial to create adequate space for the bridge’s foundation. They warned that failing to shift the line could have resulted in a burst, posing serious risks to residents and infrastructure.
Authorities assured residents that water supply will be restored according to schedule but advised households to boil their water for two days following the resumption, as a preventive health measure. Meanwhile, preparations for boring the GMLR’s highly anticipated twin tunnels are progressing steadily. Last month, Mumbai received 54 containers carrying parts of a massive tunnel-boring machine, one of the largest of its kind. The assembly of this advanced machinery is currently underway. Officials confirmed that actual boring operations are likely to start early next year, setting the stage for one of the city’s most ambitious transport projects to date.
The GMLR, with an estimated cost of ₹6,500 crore, aims to resolve Mumbai’s long-standing traffic congestion by directly linking Goregaon in the west with Mulund in the east. A centerpiece of the project is the construction of two parallel tunnels, each 6.65 km long, beginning near Film City and emerging at Amar Junction in Mulund, an area currently dotted with dense slums. In addition to tunnels, the corridor will feature arterial bridges, interchanges, and cable-stayed structures. Once operational, the GMLR is expected to drastically reduce travel time, cutting east-west commutes from around 115 minutes to approximately 90 minutes during peak hours.