In a pivotal development, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has agreed to relocate four major water mains in Sion, located in the F-North administrative ward. This decision aims to support a slum rehabilitation initiative that will benefit approximately 2,200 slum dwellers. By shifting essential water infrastructure to a nearby area, the BMC is facilitating the construction of new housing projects on the site currently occupied by these water mains.
The land in question, at Salt Pan in F-North, is owned by BMC and measures around 36,716 sq m. It houses four major water mains—a 1,200-mm Old Tansa main, 1,200-mm New Tansa main, 800-mm Vihar main and 1,800-mm Mumbai-II main—which supply water to several parts of Mumbai. The court directed BMC to consider the redevelopment proposal and stipulated that construction could not take place within 10 metres of the main water pipeline.
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The proposal, involving Panchsheel Cooperative Housing Society and its appointed developer Sejal Siddha Realtors LLP, marks a departure from the civic body’s earlier stand of not allowing its Hydraulic Engineer’s land to be used or relocated for development purposes. Earlier requests by the society and its previous developer to shift the water mains and use BMC land for redevelopment were rejected by the civic administration.