10/15/2019 A Historical Study of Mumbai's Water Systems | Sahapedia

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Fountains of Mumbai

A Historical
Study of
Mumbai's Water
Systems
B U I LT S PAC E S

in Article
Published on: 03 July 2018

Vinayak Parab M U M BA I CO LO N I A L B O M BAY

Vinayak Parab is the executive
editor of Lokprabha, a weekly
Marathi magazine of The Indian
Express Group. He also works
as an independent researcher
in the fields of archaeology,
geology, fine arts and is a
visiting faculty at Sathaye
College, Mumbai, where he
lectures on Buddhist Studies
and Epistemology.

Water is pure, Water is natural,

Water is healthy, Water can help all.

Water is simple, Water is free,

Water can help the lives…The lives of you and me!

                         Olivia Taylor

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These lines by Olivia Taylor aptly def ine the importance of this
odourless and colourless substance called water in our lives. It is an
indispensable part of our existence and has a close connection with
human settlements across the globe.

Figure 1. Water gushing out of Tansa Dam. Source: Municipal

Corporation of Greater Mumbai

Mumbai is the only city in the world which is surrounded by saline

water bodies on three sides but there aren’t enough natural sources of
potable water that can quench the thirst of the ever-growing
population of this city. The history of Mumbai’s islets, before they
were connected to form a big metropolis, is intriguing and plays a vital
role in the history of the region. The advent of the British rule gave
new dimensions to the city and the waves of settlements required a lot
of urban planning, sanitation and building of habitation spaces for the
people while maintaining a steady source of potable water, making the
city what it is today.  

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Figure 2: Map showing the Tulsi Lake, Powai Lake and rivers like
Mithi, Dahisar, Oshiwara, Ulhas spread in the city. Source: Municipal
Corporation of Greater Mumbai

The demolition of the fort walls in the early nineteenth century,

ushered in a gradual change in the city initiating its journey towards
becoming a modern metropolis. As it grew in population and
expanded geographically, the paucity of water was a major concern that
the city faced. The process of how potable water f irst made its way to
the city is an insightful tale of events that marked the nineteenth
century.

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The history of Mumbai’s water supply systems involves years of work

by pioneers and noblemen. Before the large projects such as Vihar,
Tulsi and Tansa were undertaken in Mumbai, pious citizens from the
Parsi and Gujarati communities constructed many tanks and wells for
public good. Owing to the scarcity of water, the tanks that existed in
the pre-British period were insuff icient and hence major water tank
projects like C.P. Tank, named after the philanthropist Seth Cowasjee
Patel, came up. Three wells by Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, Framji Cowasjee
Banaji’s Powai Estate and Water Trust deed were bequeathed after the
drought in the early 1800s.  Foreseeing the intensif ied problem of
water shortage in the subsequent years, another desirable solution was
to dig ditches in open grounds and gather natural rainwater therein.
But over a period of time, none of these early schemes of water
provision and management could meet the needs of the citizens since
there was a tremendous increase in water consumption.

On June 2, 1845 the citizens of Mumbai protested against then

prevalent water supply systems which eventually led to the formation
of a two-tier committee to study and chalk out solutions to this
problem. The preliminary report submitted by this committee stated
that there was a need to take immediate action to enhance the water
supply to the city. In lieu of this, the land near Vihar village at the
source of the Mithi river was chosen to construct a dam. Thus, the
f irst major scheme of drawing water from a far-off place into the
municipal limits of the city began with Vihar Water Works; approved
by then Governor General Lord Canning. The work started in 1856
and was successfully completed in 1858.

A huge pipeline with a 32-cm circumference was laid down, breaching

the gap between Vihar Lake and the main city. During the early years
of its inception, it provided 32 lakh litres of water every year until
1872, when another pipeline was laid and the height of the dam was
increased. This provided an additional 37 lakh litres of water to the
city. But even this wasn’t enough to meet the needs of the city, which
further led to the commencement of Tulsi Water Works project in
1879.

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Figure 3. The Overflowing Tulsi Dam Water. Source: Municipal

Corporation of Greater Mumbai

The rock-cut cave site of Kanheri, situated now in the Sanjay Gandhi
National Park, is known for its ancient water systems. The reservoir
dam here was connected to Tulsi Lake since ancient times and later
this very Tulsi Lake continued to serve the city, now in the form of a
modern supply system. These extensive water work projects proved
very useful while also giving birth to the idea of Tansa Lake in 1892.
The requirement of water supply was increasing with the growing city
and these projects were taking root and progressing at a steady pace.

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Figure 4. Water flowing from Tansa Dam. Source: Municipal

Corporation of Greater Mumbai

The Tansa Dam is 2,804m long and from here a 48 inch giant pipeline
transported an additional 77 lakh litres of water to Mumbai. From
1914, this pipeline has been serving the city’s reservoirs before passing
through mountainous regions.  To further meet the increasing
demands of the city, the corporation decided to build a dam on River
Vaitarna and release the collected water in Tansa Lake. This work
which commenced in 1948 was completed in 1957 under the
supervision of the Corporation’s Engineer the Late N.V. Modak.
Owing to his immense contribution to this project the Vaitarna Dam
was renamed as Modak Sagar, which continues to play a vital role in
the potable water supply of Mumbai even today.

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Figure 5. Vaitarna alias Modak Sagar Dam. Source: Municipal

Corporation of Greater Mumbai

Modak played a pivotal role in formulating decisions of distributing

water from all the dams into various reservoirs in the city located at
places like Powai, Worli, etc. The water is chlorine-processed in eight
reservoirs like these and is then f inally made available to the people. In
accordance with these developments and to adequately meet the ever-
increasing water needs of the city, the Bhadra Dam project was the
next important step taken up by the government. Another project on
the Madhya Vaitarna Dam has also recently been taken ahead. In order
to distribute such large quantities of water, the planners work with the
law of gravity, thereby creating a successful water management system.

Thus, the water that people consume everyday goes through this long
process before it becomes potable and f it.  To meet their various needs
—right from drinking, washing cars and household chores— these
gallons of treated water is used by Mumbaites without knowing this
extensive and complex processes of acquiring it. Little are the city
dwellers familiar with the fact that the water that runs all the time
from their taps, involves a large monetary investment, resources and
manpower usage. Statistical studies estimate that it costs Rs 16 per litre
for this potable water to reach the city, after undergoing the tedious
and long process.

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While it is true that citizens do pay for this ‘purif ied’ water in the form
of taxes, the trajectory of these water system networks is so perfectly
spread in the city that it deserves greater acknowledgement from the
people who benef it from it, rather than being merely counted in f iscal
terms. This non-renewable source cannot be treated as just another
commodity. This apathy among people is a rising concern that needs to
be tackled at a war-footing considering the foreseen water crises in
different parts of the world. In rural areas, people face a lot of
problems to acquire potable water but in urban cities like Mumbai
potable water is made available at people’s doorsteps without much
hindrance. This   water that the inhabitants of the city consume also
undergoes the set treatment protocol but it is often used wastefully.

The United Nations has predicted that the next war will be fought
over water, such is its scarcity in the world today. However Mumbai
seems to have turned a blind eye to this dreadful future and is seen
using the non-renewable source in abundant quantities. The populace
of the city fails to know the source of this water, the process that it
undergoes before it reaches the city, and the money that is invested in
this entire process. Then comes a season with less rainfall, followed by
a reduction in the supply of water to the metropolis, and life literally
comes to a standstill. The city is then forced to keep to its basic needs
and control its more wasteful ways.   Our history speaks of water
charity through water fountains, tanks and wells and it is time for us to
take inspiration from them, realise the gravity of the situation and
conserve water for our future generations. Passing the tradition of
good and potable water is the least we can do; after all we thrive and
grow because of it.

References

Maharashtra State, Gazetteers Department. 1909 (Repritned 1977).

The Gazetteer of Bombay City and Island Gazetteer , Vols 1-3.
Bombay: Times Press.

Parab, Vinayak. 2006. ‘ Udhalpatti garaj Futpatti Chi ’, Loksatta

Ravivar Vrutant . Mumbai: The Indian Express Group.

Ranganathan, Murali, ed. & trs. 2008. Govind Narayan’s Mumbai: An

Urban Biography from 1863 . UK & USA: Anthem Press.

Shirgaonkar, Varsha, S. 2011. Exploring the Water Heritage of

Mumbai . New Delhi: Aryan Books.

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