Mumbai: The BMC’s plan to build a 52-million-litre-per-day alternate tank for the Malabar Hill reservoir repair has sparked fresh outrage, with residents warning it could come at the cost of the area’s green cover. Unconvinced by BMC's tree transplantation claims, they are gearing up for a formal pushback, questioning both the need and the environmental cost.
Meeting and Residents' Arguments
After shelving its 2023 plan to demolish and reconstruct the century old reservoir amid protests over the Hanging Gardens, the BMC moved to a phased repair strategy requiring an alternate tank. At a Sunday evening meeting held at Hanging Garden residents warned the new proposal could again come at the cost of green cover, with plans likely to involve cutting and transplanting several trees. Residents argued that an alternate tank is unnecessary, as the reservoir can be repaired in phases by isolating sections, with remaining capacity proving sufficient. They plan to write to the BMC and request a meeting on the issue.
The century-old reservoir beneath Hanging Gardens supplies 147 MLD of water to South Mumbai. After a 2022 audit exposed structural issues, the BMC sanctioned a reconstruction plan worth nearly Rs. 698 crore, featuring a 90 MLD replacement tank. Work began in 2023, but the issue drew public attention when notices were put up on trees in Hanging Gardens slated for removal—389 trees in total, with 200 earmarked for transplantation—sparking stiff resistance from Malabar Hill residents.
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