On 11th August 2009 SOMA Enterprises Ltd, Pune and DIRK India signed an exclusive contract to supply all Fly Ash (current estimate 175000 ts of processed fly ash POZZOCRETE 40 Grade) for the Middle Vaitarna Dam project. The Dam will have a hight of 105 m and will become the highest dam in Maharashtra. The project will be completed in 3 seasons (2011). Work has started. 120.000 ts of POZZOCRETE 40 had been supplied previously to the first dam using Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) technology in India with 70% cement replacement rate. Crucial for the RCC application is the uninterrupted supply of a processed fly ash with stable quality parameters. DIRK India has been selected for supply to this second RCC project in Maharashtra, because of the success of the first project and because it is currently the only facility in the region to have sufficient fly ash processing capacity installed. By utilizing the fly ash provided by DIRK India nearly 170.000 ts of CO2 emissions will be saved.
At a height of 105 metres, the dam will be constructed about 145 km northeast of Mumbai at Mokhada in Thane district.
One of the most ambitious and expensive projects, the Rs 1,400-crore dam aims to balance the existing water shortage of Mumbai. Once completed in 2011, it will supply an additional 455 million litres of water per day to the 15 million population of Mumbai.
About 28 per cent of the work, which includes construction of approach roads and other components, has already been carried out at the cost of Rs 397 crore.
Works such as laying pipelines, constructing tunnels and the main dam will be completed within the next 42 months.
The dam will be constructed at a cost of Rs 490 crore by the China International Water and Electric (CWE) engineering company — a state-owned large-scale enterprise under the direct jurisdiction of the government of the People’s Republic of China and Soma Enterprises (joint venture).