Two compartments of Malabar Hill reservoir visually in good condition: expert committee

MUMBAI: The first site inspection of the Malabar Hill reservoir to check its structural stability and the extent of its “dilapidated condition”, as stated in previous reports, was conducted by the seven-member expert committee on Thursday

MUMBAI: The first site inspection of the Malabar Hill reservoir to check its structural stability and the extent of its “dilapidated condition”, as stated in previous reports, was conducted by the seven-member expert committee on Thursday. The experts found two compartments to be visually “in good condition” without any visible distress. The other three compartments will be examined on December 18.

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Alpa Sheth, one of the engineers on the committee, said, “We feel the BMC should be lauded for having maintained two of the best-kept heritage assets of Mumbai. They are in good condition and there is no distress.” When asked if the experts would also conduct a structural audit instead of just visually inspecting the reservoir, Sheth said the non-destructive testing had already been done in the past.

A civic official told HT that in 2017, D D Kulkarni, a private structural consultant, had done a structural audit for the BMC, and submitted a report saying that the reservoir was in a dilapidated condition. “It was first suggested that it needs to be reconstructed in phases,” said the official. “But the arch structure cannot be demolished phase-wise, as it would lead to a sequential failure. That’s when VJTI and IIT submitted a report that the reservoir should be reconstructed in one go and not in phases.”

What remains to be seen is if the new expert committee comes up with new findings, and whether the BMC’s earlier plan on reconstruction will give way to only repairs. The committee will also have to work out a plan on increasing the existing flow and upgradation of the existing reservoir.

HT on November 7 had reported on the BMC’s constituting a seven-member committee to submit a report on various feasibility aspects involved in the Malabar Hill reservoir reconstruction project. The scope of the committee is to find out if the existing reservoir can be repaired without constructing an alternative tank and without affecting the water supply. It will also explore whether phase-wise reconstruction is feasible without compromising on the disruption of water supply to citizens.