Mumbai: Malabar Hill reservoir needs just minor repairs, says expert committee

Parts of the reservoir were emptied for the second inspection

The committee reviewing the Malabar Hill reservoir reconstruction project visited the remaining three tanks on Monday. They found all five tanks in excellent condition, needing only minor repairs. The committee will reconvene to finalise their report. The final date of submission is January 15.

Parts of the reservoir were emptied for the second inspection on December 18. Committee members assessed tanks 1A, 1B, and 1C between 8 am and 10 am, following their previous visit to tanks 2A and 2B on December 7.

Architect Rahul Kadri, a committee member, said, "All three structures are in excellent condition. 1A is a brick arch structure and, though it was constructed 100 years ago, it is still in amazingly good shape. It is 99.9 per cent perfect with minor leakage at the roof, which can be repaired from the top (outside) without disrupting water storage and supply. 1B is made of concrete without any steel, and it is also in perfectly fine condition. Minor repairs can be easily sorted out. The last structure, 1C, is RCC, and it is 90 per cent in good condition. The steel has corroded on the edges, but it is easy to repair with simple waterproofing." Kadri added that he cannot comment on the views of the IIT professors, but all technical persons may have a similar opinion. The committee members plan to meet again after two to three days to discuss the matter.

While the BMC and IIT professors remained silent, Alpa Sheth, another citizen representative in the committee said, "Most of the structures are made of bricks or plain cement concrete, so there isn't any chance of corrosion. The only structure out of the five that has a patch made in RCC shows some corrosion, but it requires minor repairs." She further added that all the committee members are technical experts, and as there isn't any structural distress, there's no chance of differing opinions about the repairs. "We are all in agreement and will convene again to submit our report in the coming days," she added.

The proposed reconstruction project, initially opposed by residents due to tree removal at Hanging Gardens, involved creating an additional tank and repairing the old reservoir. Keeping in mind the demands of the locals, BMC formed the committee on November 8. The committee included civic officials, IIT professors, and
citizen representatives.

The 143-year-old reservoir supplies 147 MLD of water to south Mumbai, covered by the Hanging Gardens. The proposal included felling 189 trees and transplanting 200. The proposal was approved by the civic body in February at an estimated cost of R698.50 crore. The project was expected to be completed in phases over the next seven years. The project aimed to increase reservoir capacity to 191 million litres, is expected to conclude by 2029.

Dec 18
Day of the second inspection