Mumbai: The residents of Malabar Hill and neighbouring area who are opposing the proposed 52 MLD alternate reservoir held a meeting with BMC officials and local MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha on Friday.The meeting, organised by Lodha, was also an effort by the civic body to secure residents’ consent for the project, particularly after it scaled down the number of trees likely to be affected by nearly 80% — from 389 to 76, a key point of contention. Lodha said the initial proposal was to completely demolish Hanging Gardens and build the reservoir from scratch which we did oppose and managed to save a significant number of trees. “However, keeping in mind the water requirement of this locality as well, there is a need for this alternate tank as well as repairs of the existing tank. I have also requested the authorities to consider having some kind of a public amenity, like a public parking lot or a senior citizen garden at the top of the alternate water tank,” he said. Some residents contested the move, arguing that the existing reservoir can be repaired in phases without disrupting water supply. They pointed out that the reservoir functions primarily as a transit system rather than a long-term storage facility, with water being pumped in and out multiple times a day. Concerns were also raised about the financial implications of the project, with residents questioning the need to spend large sums of public money when less expensive repair options may be viable. Civic officials said temporary arrangements would be made to manage water supply during any repair or reconstruction work, including pumping and network adjustments. They assured residents that all suggestions would be reviewed.
