Mumbai: Nod for Malabar Hill reservoir awaits cutting of 300 trees

Mumbai: Despite allotting the contract last year, the work on the reconstruction of 136-year-old Malabar Hill reservoir has yet to start. The project aims to increase the reservoir’s capacity from 147.78 million litres (ML) to 191ML to augment the water supply to south Mumbai. However, the BMC is still awaiting approval from the Tree Authority to hack 300 more trees on the earmarked plot.

The first artificial reservoir – built to meet the island city’s water requirements – is located just beneath the surface of Hanging Gardens. In the project’s first phase, the BMC will construct a temporary tank for uninterrupted water supply. For that, though, 300 trees need to be cut.

BMC: For every tree that is axed, four will have to be planted in its place

As per sources in the BMC’s garden department, for every tree that is axed, four will have to be planted in its place. A civic official said the reservoir cannot be isolated without this new tank being built, which will take nearly two years.

In the second phase, the BMC will partially shut down Hanging Gardens to rebuild the reservoir, which will comprise seven chambers. For continued water supply during the project, water from each chamber will be transferred to the next, following which the demolition and reconstruction work of a specific chamber will begin.

The plan to reconstruct the reservoir was taken in 2019 after a structural audit. The civic standing committee approved the proposal in February 2022 at a cost of Rs698.50 crore. The deadline for the project is 2029.