Mumbai: BMC’s consultant and civic officials are expected to present a plan to an IIT-Roorkee team on carrying out repairs to the century-old Malabar Hill reservoir without constructing an alternative tank by isolating one of its five tanks and get it vetted for its feasibility over the next two days.
The IIT-Roorkee team was commissioned by BMC to determine the need for an overhaul of the reservoir.
Civic officials said that the IIT-Roorkee team is expected to look at the likely impact of isolation of one of the tanks, such as increase in pressure on the structures and the hydraulic aspects, including maintaining supply. “Isolation can be carried out while ensuring that the rest of the tanks are interconnected. The tanks’ outfall has to be shifted lower than the current position. Besides, the upper portion of the four other tanks would have to be used. However, what we need to examine is the pressure on the structure once isolation of a tank is carried out,” said a civic official.
Additional municipal commissioner (projects) Abhijit Bangar told TOI that BMC has specifically asked the IIT-Roorkee team whether it is possible to isolate one tank and carry out repairs to the reservoir. He said once the team approves the plan, BMC would take a call on the expenditure for the construction as well as removal of trees for it.
Civic officials said they will also have to take into account the use of the alternative tank once the repairs are carried out.
BMC had scrapped its initial plan to reconstruct the reservoir last year after facing stiff opposition for over 10 months, and revised it to undertaking repairs. The IIT-Roorkee team had earlier recommended constructing an alternative tank of 52 MLD (million litres per day) capacity till completion of repairs. After civil society experts said repairs could be carried out without building another tank, BMC had asked the team to assess the feasibility of such a plan.
The reservoir has a storage capacity of 147 MLD and a usable capacity of 80 MLD in one go. It caters to 1 million by providing 240 MLD of water in three shifts.
