TBM stuck in tunnel for over a year in Powai

A tunnel boring machine (TBM) drilling for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) formidable Veravali-Powai-Ghatkopar water provide project, has been stuck in its personal partially-dug tunnel close to Powai for over a year, with no respite in sight.

Daily Current Affairs Quiz 2020

Key-Points

With major cities in India opting for urban transportation systems underground, Tunnel Boring Machines, that help dig tunnels underground, are being deployed extensively in the country.

They are used to excavate tunnels through a variety of soil and rock strata –– from hard rock to sand. These machines are capable of digging tunnels with diameters 3.3 feet to 58 feet.

In India, TBMs have been deployed in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata, among others, to help build underground Metro lines. These TBMs are also being used to help build water tunnels as well as the coastal road in Mumbai.

The global TBM market is at present dominated by China. As per vendors, nearly 90 per cent of the TBMs deployed across India have a Chinese connection.

China has a dominating presence in the heavy equipment machinery segment, and officials claim it is not possible to replace the sources of these types of equipment overnight.