Malabar Hill Reservoir reconstruction: Why BMC’s plan to augment water supply has run into opposition from citizens

On Monday, 50 citizens sent a signed letter to Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, asking the administration to make public all the documents related to the proposed project.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Guardian Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, who is also the MLA of Malabar Hill, is expected to meet the citizens Tuesday to discuss the issue.

About the Reservoir

Built in 1887, the Malabar Hill Reservoir is one of the first artificial water reservoirs constructed in the island city. The reservoir is located underneath the Kamala Nehru Park (Hanging Garden) and has a capacity of supplying 150 million litre per day (MLD). The Malabar Hill is one of the highest locations in Mumbai and the key idea of having this reservoir at such an elevated height is to augment the flow of water through the natural gravitational force.

Why are citizens opposing BMC move?

The Hanging Garden was built in 1881 and is one of the most iconic landmarks of this city. Citizens from different walks of life visit the garden daily for their morning and evening walks. The proposed project will require demolishing the existing reservoir and digging up the entire surface – thereby making the garden inaccessible to the public for at least seven years. Malabar Hill is also an eco-sensitive zone and has rich flora and fauna. The BMC proposal states that nearly 389 trees will be affected for this project, including 189 trees that will be axed entirely while 200 trees will be transplanted.

The citizens have argued that felling trees will disturb the natural balance of the ecosystem. The local residents have, therefore, asked the civic body to chalk out alternative measures that would not affect the ecology of the area.

Why is the BMC batting for this project?

The Malabar Hill Reservoir supplies water to the A, B, C, and D wards of the Mumbai civic body, which cover upscale areas like Nariman Point, Cuffe Parade, Churchgate, Colaba, Kalbadevi, Girgaon, Nepean Sea Road and the entire Malabar Hill neighbourhood. With the gradual increase in the population of the city, the BMC is now aiming to increase the capacity of the tank to 190 MLD.

“The primary objective of taking up the rebuilding work is to ensure that the crisis of water shortage is resolved. The population level and overall demography of south Mumbai has changed drastically through the past decades, which eventually has led to an increase in the requirement for water as well,” said a senior civic official from the water supply project department.

At present, Mumbai has an overall demand of 4,200 MLD of water, but the BMC is able to supply 3,850 MLD only.

How has the reconstruction work been planned?

The BMC has divided the work into five phases.

“In the first phase, we will empty the first chamber and transfer its water to a different chamber to ensure that there is no crisis in supply, and after that, we will demolish and reconstruct the chamber. There are a total of seven chambers in the reservoir and in each phase, we will demolish and reconstruct each reservoir,” the official said.

Civic officials said the reservoir has an arch-type masonry construction which mainly comprises bricks and the BMC will be reconstructing the chambers with cement.

The civic body has set up a seven-year deadline for this project and the cost has been pegged at Rs 400 crore.