Returning to its fountain of youth

Returning to its fountain of youth
A team, starring BMC engineers and conservation architects, has solved a British-era plumbing riddle to revive one of Mumbai’s iconic structures.

When a team of BMC engineers and conversation architects turned the valves at the massive 38-ft high Flora Fountain in September, water literally started flowing from everywhere. Now, after two months of identifying countless leaks, repairing rusted pipes, replacing hidden valves, sealing punctures, joining broken fittings — and possibly embarking on the city’s toughest plumbing job — it has finally managed to solve a British-era jigsaw puzzle. Noted conservation architect Vikas Dilavari, best known for restoring the resplendent Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Byculla, says, “We had to figure the entire plumbing network out. It was all trial-and-error since we had to locate the leakages first, and many parts were missing as well. We scanned through old pictures and even wrote to British-era plumbing experts in Scotland to see if they could help us. We even tried thermography (a technology that uses infrared images). Finally, we reached out to plumbers from the old days in Mumbai and sought their help. The water works are back in shape now.”

The iconic Flora Fountain was constructed in 1869 at the cost of Rs 47,000 to commemorate colonial Bombay’s governor, Sir Henry Bartle Frere, who had contributed significantly in beautifying the city. British architect Richard Norman Shaw, whose other designs include the Scotland Yard building and the Bradford City Hall, gave it a decidedly environmental edge. Aside from the goddess Flora, the fountain also has four other mythological figures on its sides, representing the four seasons. Inside the fountain, there are numbers marked in Roman digits, which helped masons assemble the fountain shipped in parts from England. When the BMC, in collaboration with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), commissioned a Rs 2.34 restoration project to restore it, the team was unaware of the secrets lurking within it.

“As we went below the fountain and removed the cement flooring, we found a massive hollow. It was a large tank, around 7 feet high with big valves (now repaired) that controlled the flow of the water at various levels. The entire fountain is an engineering marvel,” Dilavari points out. While water flows from dolphins in the first tier, a large trough collects the water below at the last tier before it is circulated back to the top.

Adding to the challenge, many stone figures from the fountain were either broken or missing, including a cast-iron lion head. Miraculously, “we found that our staff had collected the parts that had fallen off over the years. We even tried to get an endoscopy done but it was proving to be too costly,” says Sanjay Sawant, senior heritage engineer at BMC. “We really had to join the dots to get it all working. We were also surprised that our staff had kept pieces of broken hands, lions and creepers that had fallen off. We will now place them back.”

Dilavari adds, “Over the years, many layers of paint and plaster were added to the structure. The original structure is made of imported Portland limestone and is offwhite in colour. We want to make it look just the way it was in 1869. So, all the extra additions will have to be removed carefully.”

Unfortunately, the area around the fountain was also paved with cement over the years, but this misdemeanour will be water under the bridge shortly. “We are now relaying that area with Italian marble to enhance the look of the fountain precinct. The landscaped area around the fountain will also be redone; its height will be reduced so that the entire fountain can be seen clearly. Small benches will be installed around it, so that people can come here and sit. They can enjoy the beauty of the fountain,” says Sawant, as he climbs onto the scaffolding to show us the broken arm of one of the figurines that adorns Flora Fountain. But he also notes proudly that the old lampposts that stand around the fountain will be restored and focus lights will be added to illuminate the structure by night.

Incidentally, there is yet another jewel ensconced in this heritage plumbing gem that will spout water again. Perched above a hidden valve enclosure is a smaller fountain within a fountain. However, with no regulation over the years, the water was being thrown up so high that it would hit the top of the fountain. “We are restoring this fountain also. We will regulate the water flow so that it doesn’t damage the limestone. This small internal fountain is an equally important feature of Flora Fountain,” says Dilavari. “The real challenge is to make sure that the entire three-tier fountain is working without damaging the restored Portland stone. For that, we will have to regulate water pressure and supply to perfection. It will require several trial runs before we can finally crack that formula.” Mumbaikars can’t wait to go with the flow.