Mumbai: Panel to review Malabar Hill water tank construction

Around 390 trees were to be cut at Hanging Gardens for the project. File pic

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will form a committee including IIT professors, a BMC engineer and locals to study the construction of a water tank on Malabar Hill. The committee will submit a report within a month after which a decision will be taken based on the findings. The BMC had decided to construct an additional tank and repair the old reservoir on Malabar Hill, but residents opposed it citing the removal of 389 trees at Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens, also known as Hanging Gardens.

The idea to construct additional tanks before the reconstruction of the 143-year-old reservoir received heavy criticism from residents of Malabar Hill and green activists. Locals claim this development would ‘kill' the Hanging Gardens. After intervention from a local MLA and Guardian Minister Suburbs, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, the BMC issued an interim stay on the construction.

The decision to form a committee was taken at a meeting held at Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal's office on Tuesday, where four additional commissioners were present along with Lodha. Bhalchandr Shirsat, a BJP spokesperson who was also present at the meeting said, "After discussions, the BMC agreed to form a committee which includes three IIT professors, three residents, an engineer from the BMC and a deputy municipal commissioner to study the construction of the additional tank on Malabar Hill."

P Velarasu, additional commissioner of BMC and in charge of the work did not respond to the mid-day's queries.

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The 143-year-old Malabar Hill reservoir supplies 147 million litres of water mainly in South Mumbai. The Hanging Gardens have been created on this reservoir. According to the BMC documents, the proposal was to hack 189 trees while 200 trees were to be transplanted. The civic body approved the proposal in February 2022, at an estimated project cost of Rs 698.50 crore. The work was to be done in phases over the next seven years and was expected to be completed by the end of 2029. BMC officials said the project would increase the capacity of the reservoir from 147.78 million litres to 191 million litres.

Civic officials claim the contractor has started other required work at the site.