Vihar Lake built by Britishers in 1853-1860

By Seven Oaks -

Vihar Lake & Bombay Water Supply 


Vihar Lake

  • Vihar Lake is an artificial reservoir (man-made lake) located on Salsette Island, about 15 miles (24 km) from Bombay (Mumbai).

  • It was created to provide Bombay with a reliable supply of clean drinking water.

  • Before this, Bombay depended mainly on wells on the island for water.

How was it built?

  • In 1853, the Bombay authorities approved a proposal by:

    • Lt. Col. Crawford, R.E.

    • Lt. (later Col.) De Lisle, R.E.

  • The plan was to dam the Gopur River valley near its source in the hills of Salsette.

  • The project was carried out by Mr. Conybeare, C.E.

  • The dams were completed and water began reaching Bombay in 1860.

Size and Construction

  • The lake covered about 1,400 acres.

  • Its catchment (water-gathering) area covered about 2,550 acres, excluding the lake surface.

  • It was formed by three dams.

  • Two additional dams were needed to stop water escaping over lower ridges around the basin.

Water Supply

  • The reservoir supplied around 8 million gallons of water per day.

  • This amounted to roughly 12–13 gallons per person per day for Bombay's population.

Protection of Water Quality

  • Trade, manufacturing, and agriculture were forbidden within the watershed area.

  • The surrounding wilderness helped keep the water free from contamination.

  • For many years the water was considered "exceedingly pure."

Problems that Developed

  • Over time, the water quality deteriorated because of vegetation growing inside the lake.

  • At the time of writing, there was:

    • No practical way to empty and clean the reservoir.

    • No system for filtering the water.

  • The Municipality was considering various schemes to improve water quality.

Expansion: Tulsi (Tulsee) Lake

Why was Tulsi Lake built?

  • By 1872, concerns arose that Vihar alone might not provide enough water.

  • The adjoining Tulsi (Tulsee) Lake was therefore created.

Cost

  • Tulsi Lake was built at a cost of £40,000.

Purpose

  • Water stored in Tulsi could be released into Vihar when needed.

  • It acted as a backup and supplementary reservoir.

Cost of the Entire Water Scheme

  • Construction of the Vihar Reservoir and laying pipes to bring water into Bombay cost about £373,650.

New Project Approved in 1875

  • In 1875, Bombay Municipality approved another project costing £100,000.

  • The project would bring a separate water main from Tulsi Lake to the top of Malabar Hill.

Benefits

  • Would provide about 6 additional gallons of water per person per day.

  • Would improve water supply for the higher parts of Bombay, which could not easily be supplied from the Vihar system.

Key Dates at a Glance

  • 1853 – Vihar project approved.

  • 1860 – Water from Vihar began reaching Bombay.

  • 1872 – Tulsi Lake created as a supplementary reservoir.

  • 1875 – New Tulsi-to-Malabar Hill water project approved.

Main Takeaway

  • Vihar Lake was Bombay's first major modern water-supply reservoir, transforming the city from dependence on wells to a centralized water system.

  • Tulsi Lake was later added as a backup source when demand increased.

  • Together they formed the foundation of Bombay's modern municipal water supply system.

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