Civic body restores four heritage pyaus inside Byculla zoo

In November 2021, the BMC undertook the project of restoring the four pyaus inside Byculla Zoo, named Khimji Mulji Randeria Pyau; Ardeshir Dadyshett Pyaus (2 identical pyaus) and Seth Samaladas Nasidas Pyau, which has now been restored to a water fountain.

The restoration took place at a cost of Rs 1.3 crore. (PTI/File)

Eleven months after it was started, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) last week completed the restoration of four pyaus (drinking water fountains) inside Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan — the Byculla zoo. While three of the four pyaus were restored to their original structures, one pyau was restored into a water fountain, which is now operational, according to information from BMC’s heritage department. All four pyaus are about a century old and came up between 1903 and 1933.

In November 2021, the BMC undertook the project of restoring the four pyaus inside Byculla Zoo, named Khimji Mulji Randeria Pyau; Ardeshir Dadyshett Pyaus (2 identical pyaus) and Seth Samaladas Nasidas Pyau, which has now been restored to a water fountain. The restoration took place at a cost of Rs 1.3 crore.

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During the process of restoration, the BMC creatively reconstructed the Seth Samaladas Nasidas Pyau into a water fountain, with a plan to create a Koi fish Pond in the fountain. However, presently, some other construction work is going on inside the Byculla Zoo and around this water fountain, which could be harmful for the fish.

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While the water fountain will become operational next week, the Koi fish will only be let into the pond after the surrounding construction work is concluded, an official from the heritage department said. Testing of the water filtration system for the fish pond will be done within the next one week.

A senior civic official from the heritage department said, “The three pyaus have become operational, and the fourth, which is the water fountain, will start spouting water within a week.”

Another official from the department said, “We have planned a decorative wall with murals behind the Khimji Mulji Randeria Pyau, which is a separate structure independent of the pyau. Work on its construction will be taken up shortly.”

The restoration of these four pyaus has been done by heritage architect Rahul Chemburkar. This is part of the BMC’s larger plan to restore 22 heritage pyaus across Mumbai, including these four. A senior civic official from the heritage department said, “The BMC began the restoration of these four pyaus and several smaller projects were undertaken to restore pyaus across the city. Going forward, the plan is to restore the remaining 18 together so that the heritage circuit of pyaus can be launched.”

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