Mumbai News: BMC Plans 35–44 MLD Alternative Tank For Malabar Hill Reservoir Repairs Based On IIT-Roorkee Advice

Mumbai: As per recommendations of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Roorkee about repairs to the 137-year-old Malabar Hill reservoir (MHR), the BMC is considering building a smaller alternative tank with a capacity of 35–44 million litres per day (MLD). However, the BMC is yet to finalised the location for the construction of alternate tank.

Local residents met MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha and Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijeet Bangar on Wednesday to discuss the long-pending MHR repairs. The proposed alternate setup includes an underground tank, a ground-level tank, and a third elevated tank.

Water will be routed through the ground tank and pumped upward to maintain supply during repairs. Civic officials estimate the project will cost more than Rs. 100 crore. "We have welcomed public input to help identify a location with minimal disruption,” said a civic official.

The oldest reservoir beneath Hanging Gardens supplies 147 MLD of water daily to South Mumbai. The BMC had initially proposed a Rs. 698-crore plan to demolish and reconstruct the structure, which required building a 90 MLD replacement tank impacting 389 trees, including 200 for transplantation.

However, experts from IIT-Bombay later concluded that complete reconstruction wasn’t necessary and that repairs would suffice. In February 2024, an expert panel warned that phased repairs would disrupt water supply unless an alternative tank was created.

Acting on an IIT-Roorkee recommendation, the BMC opted for a scaled-down, vertical tank with a 35–44 MLD capacity to minimise land use and environmental impact. The original reconstruction plan was ultimately scrapped following sustained public opposition.