Microtunneling

Microtunneling is a trenchless underground tunnel construction technique generally used for constructing smaller tunnels for utilities diversion such as drainage pipelines to minimise the public inconvenience caused during the construction.

Microtunneling is an efficient, fast and reliable way for installing RCC or concrete pipelines of various diameters below highways, railroads, runways, ports and environmentally sensitive areas without disturbing the surface activities and users
The technique allows free public movement in the area and is mostly adopted in places where footfall is quite high and trenching is not advisable as the extraction of debris causes blocking of passages restricting people’s movement.
It is also very helpful for preserving existing infrastructure from any physical damage or alteration.

Sustainable development- It is especially used for projects that require tunnels under roads with high traffic volumes, and for railways, rivers and other environmentally sensitive areas.
For Smart Cities/AMRUT– Emerging as a new trend, it is being extensively used to lay water supply pipelines and sewers in congested areas. In cities where growing job opportunities are attracting thousands every day, the water supply and sewer lines are overloaded and overflowing.
Areas still exist in India where overhead power lines exist and drains are left open. This can be a cause for concern during the monsoon season when heavy cyclonic winds can blow down electric poles and flowing rainwater can overflow drains. Power lines and drains go underground, and that’s time-consuming because most of these are being done using the traditional dig-and-install methods that take up space on the road surface, creating bottlenecks and traffic jams- microtunneling can solve these problems

The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has started microtunneling work at its under construction Anand Vihar RRTS station.

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