BMC

toilet

Oval Maidan

Kiran Dighavkar

Architect PK Das

South Mumbai

Das

Built at a cost of Rs 35 lakh, the’s most expensivefunctioned for a sum total of one month in 2011, thanks to a structural defect. Now, the civic body plans to make the underground facility functional once again by installing a high-powered centrifugal pump within a month.The loo, at the city’s iconic, is famous not only for what it cost but also the endless controversy it generated among citizens, activists, municipal commissioners and even judges at every stage of its existence.With pressure mounting from activists and residents to put it to use or demolish it, a team of senior BMC officials studied the toilet extensively and concluded that it simply could not be used as a toilet in its existing form and needed major changes. “The toilet is located just below the main sewage line and its own sewage line is at least six inches below the main one.So instead of flowing out, sewage flows back into the toilet, making it unusable. The required gradient is not present, which is the result of a flawed design. But we are going to install a high-powered centrifugal pump which can pump out the sewage,” said, assistant municipal commissioner, A ward. He added that more seats had also been added to toilet block, thus increasing its capacity.The toilet has had quite a chequered past. Located opposite Bombay High Court, the underground toilet faced controversy from its inception, when residents got together to ensure that its location was shifted. They approached the Bombay High Court and opposed it vehemently, forcing authorities to shift the toilet.When it was finally built, residents complained that it had become a magnet for urchins, and that at least a dozen people had made it their home. The Bombay High Court also raised an objection - that it posed a security threat. Finally, when all hurdles were seemingly cleared in early 2011, the toilet was thrown open to the public. However, it shut down again in a month after people complained that it would clog up and could therefore be used for only a few hours every day. The BMC tried to construct a soak pit under the toilet but that attempt too had failed. With the toilet not in use, the BMC then decided to turn it into agodown., who had designed the toilet, defended his work. “I had only provided the architectural design of the toilet on how it would look and be accessed. The technical details and operations were completely handled by the BMC and I wasn’t involved. But it’s good that the BMC is trying to revive it. In dense cities like Mumbai, public utilities will have to be sub-terrain so that there is no visual clutter especially in heritage precincts like,”said. He also sounded aword of caution, saying, “The BMC must take lessons from this and not repeat the same mistakes.”The civic body hopes the toilet will be put to good use this time around. “With the new centrifugal pump technology, we hope to restart the toilet in a month’s time. We will ensure that it doesn’t flood like before. It will have high utility since the area has no public toilets. It will be a regular pay-and-use toilet so it will be manned and not become a hub for vagrants,” Dighavkar added.