Mumbai, April 3: Two and a half years after residents halted a 389-tree felling plan at Malabar Hill Reservoir (MHR), the battle is back on. The BMC’s plan for a three-tier alternative reservoir with a capacity of 52 million litres of water daily (MLD) has reignited local residents’ fears that it will destroy the green zone between Shantivan and Hanging Gardens.
Worried residents have called for a meeting on Sunday, April 5, at 5.30 p.m. in Hanging Gardens to discuss the issue and decide their next course of action.
Background of earlier plan and resistance
The century-old reservoir beneath Hanging Gardens supplies 147 MLD of water to South Mumbai. The BMC had proposed a nearly Rs 1,000-crore reconstruction plan, including a 90 MLD replacement tank that would have affected 389 trees, with 200 slated for transplantation.
Following stiff resistance from Malabar Hill residents, the plan was scrapped in September 2023, and the BMC shifted to phased repairs linked to an alternative reservoir.
Three potential sites were identified for the new tank—near a post office, on Ridge Road, and near the staff quarters, but the plan has been on hold, with no progress for the past two years.
New three-tier plan under review
Meanwhile, newly appointed Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide on Thursday reviewed an alternate plan to construct a 52 MLD water reservoir at Malabar Hill.
Under the three-tier design proposed by the Water Supply Projects department, water will flow through a ground-level tank and be pumped upward to ensure uninterrupted supply when sections of the existing MHR are shut for repairs. The alternative facility is intended to enable the rehabilitation of the ageing reservoir.
Activists raise environmental concerns
Environmental activist Zoru Bhathena, who has tracked the issue from the start, slammed the move, saying, “The BMC has not abandoned its original plan; it has merely put it on hold to buy time. The reservoir repair project has dragged on for years, and now the civic body have turned right around and gone back to their original plans to destroy the green zone between Shantivan and Hanging Garden. This plan is entirely unnecessary and completely reckless.”
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Authorities assess visual impact
Meanwhile, an official said that Bhide has instructed a review of whether the proposed three-tier structure could affect the protected "funnel of vision", preserving views of Marine Drive and Backbay.
As per the official, the sensitive stretches include Priyadarshini Park to Nepeansea Road and Raj Bhavan to Walkeshwar Circle. However, preliminary checks suggest no obstruction, but a detailed review is ongoing.
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