The pyaus have been dysfunctional over the last 40 years and in poor condition. (File)Four heritage pyaus (drinking water fountains) located inside Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo, also known as Rani Baug, are set to be revived along with a Koi fish pond. A year after it was first planned, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has finalised the restoration plan of these pyaus — two named after Ardeshir Dadysett Pyau, and two others, the Khimji Mulji Randeria Pyau and Seth Samaldas Nasidas Pyau — that had been constructed between 1903 and 1933.
According to the BMC plan, while three pyaus will be restored to their old glory and visitors would be able to drink water from them like in the old days, Nasidas Pyau will be used to fill water in the Koi fish pond in a bid to create a ‘public attraction’. Koi fish is a decorative colourful species of fish and in Japan there is a belief that it symbolises prosperity, success and wealth. They are orange, yellow, blue in colour and live up to 25 to 30 years.
The pyaus have been dysfunctional over the last 40 years and in poor condition. All four are located inside a nursery at Byculla Zoo. Restoration is planned by conservation firm Vaastu Vidhan Projects under its initiative to conserve and revive heritage drinking water fountains across the city.
The BMC has floated a tender for the proposed repair and restoration of the four pyaus along with development of the Koi fish pond. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 1.55 crore and contract period is five months. Contract also includes comprehensive maintenance of these pyaus and fish pond for three years.
A senior official from the Heritage department said, “Both the Dadysett Pyaus and the Randeria Pyau will be made functional and public spaces will be created around it so that visitors can sit and drink water from it. Seth Samaldas Nasidas (Lion headed fountain) pyau will be relocated near Veermata Jijabai’s statue where the pond will be created for the Koi fish. The idea of Koi fish pond is to create more attraction for visitors.”
These fountains are categorised as Grade 3 heritage structures and were donated by Ardeshir Dadabhoy, Khimji Mulji Randeria and Seth Samaldas Nasidas.
Restoration work involves cleaning, repairing and dressing of stone masonry (Malad or Porbandar stones), plaques, excavation of the area around pyaus and relaid with cobble stones and addition of filtration system to provide potable water to visitors, information plaques with QR codes and uniform design.
“It is a 21 heritage pyaus circuit conservation project designed and conceptualized by Vaastu Vidhaan Projects. The conservation process will take off after a month. The project aims to convert these pyaus into interesting public and cultural pause spaces along with the reinstatement of drinking facilities. Three would be restored as drinking water fountains and fourth one, which is in a dilapidated state, will be converted into a fountain,” said architect Rahul Chemburkar, of Vaastu Vidhaan Projects.