Mumbai: A group of citizens has written to the BMC commissioner to oppose the civic body’s fresh plan to construct a 52 MLD three-tier alternative reservoir within the protected Hanging Gardens precinct. In a detailed representation submitted to the civic body on April 9, residents have alleged the plan is “unlawful and unnecessary” and based on flawed assumptions and misinformation.The objections come in the wake of TOI reports over the past few days indicating that the BMC has finalised plans for a 52 MLD alternative reservoir while it plans to take up repairs of the existing Malabar Hill reservoir and also steps it took to reduce the number of trees to be affected owing to the project.Tracing the project’s history, citizens pointed out that a 2017 structural audit of the Malabar Hill Reservoir was allegedly misinterpreted to classify the structure as dilapidated and dangerous, triggering a proposal for its demolition and reconstruction. However, subsequent inspections by an expert panel comprising IIT-Bombay professors and citizen representatives found the reservoir to be in an excellent condition, requiring only minor repairs. Based on inputs provided by the BMC, IIT-Roorkee in a June 2024 report recommended the construction of a new 52 million-litre tank. Residents, however, have challenged this recommendation, alleging that the report was based on incorrect data furnished by the civic body. They claim that key assumptions regarding storage requirements and operational constraints are flawed.Strong objections have also been raised to the proposed location of the new tank. The Hanging Gardens precinct, residents say, is a protected no-development zone and a designated green heritage plot, making any large-scale construction environmentally and legally questionable. They contend that if an additional tank is deemed necessary, it could be constructed at any suitable location within pipeline reach, rather than within a sensitive ecological zone.A meeting is being planned on Friday evening with the local MLA, MP Lodha, on the issue at Hanging Gardens along with residents to discuss this issue further.The alternate tank is proposed to come up on land behind Hanging Gardens, which will necessitate the demolition of existing staff quarters at the site.
