MUMBAI: In a major step towards repairing the 135-year-old Malabar Hill reservoir, the BMC has finalised the removal of 97 trees to make way for the construction of an alternative water tank on a plot behind the popular tourist spot of Hanging Gardens. The tank will ensure an uninterrupted water supply to parts of South Mumbai while the heritage reservoir undergoes crucial repairs.
Of the 389 trees earlier earmarked on the plot, 189 were to be hacked, but after public resistance the number was brought down to 97.
According to a civic official, 20 large trees, mostly mango, chikoo, jackfruit, Ashoka and palm, will be chopped. The rest of the trees are smaller ones. However, rare species like the Ram trees will be preserved.
The plot has a huge variety of trees, among them jackfruit, junglee badam, mango, akash neem, kailashpati, jamoon, chafa, Ashoka, neem, coconut, kadipatta, amla, chikoo, reetha and many more. Botanists had surveyed the garden and estimated where a few Ashoka, jackfruit and shevga trees could be retained, depending on their size.
“We have bifurcated the tree-cutting into two segments,” said a civic official. “Seventy-four trees will be removed where the new tank is being constructed, while 23 will be cut at the valve operations site.”
In an effort to minimise the environmental impact, the BMC’s waterworks department is exploring alternatives to further reduce the project’s carbon footprint. “We will try to save some more old trees,” the official said.
Sticking to its earlier strategy, the BMC has conveyed to IIT Roorkee that it will opt for a 52-MLD (million litres per day) single-tank design, abandoning an earlier, more elaborate plan to explore a three-tier system with a capacity ranging between 35 and 44 MLD.
The three-tier plan included an underground tank, a ground-level tank and an overhead tank. This vertical configuration aimed to reduce land use while maintaining supply during repair periods by pumping water to the upper level when necessary. However, the civic official said that the estimated cost of the project was ₹100–125 crore, which made it non-feasible.
The decision to build an alternative tank was reinforced by a recommendation from IIT-Roorkee, whose experts inspected the aging Malabar Hill reservoir in June 2024. While the BMC had initially requested the team to consider options for repair without constructing an additional tank, the IIT team maintained that a 52-MLD alternative was essential.
This marks a shift from the earlier ₹698-crore plan to completely reconstruct the reservoir, which was scrapped after public resistance and intervention from local representatives, which saved the iconic Hanging Gardens above it.
Malabar Hill MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha had announced in 2024 that the BMC would only carry out repairs on the reservoir, preserving the historic structure while addressing the city’s water needs. Malabar Hill’s requirement is 240 MLD, and the current reservoir has a capacity of only 147 MLD. At present it supplies water primarily to A and D wards comprising areas like Nariman Point, Cuffe Parade, Churchgate, Colaba, Girgaon, Nepeansea Road and the entire Malabar Hill area.