Over the years and with time, heritage properties, items and places become dearer. Irrespective of the city or place, the government, people and even organisations try to restore or keep historic items intact. Such is the case in South Bombay. If you are a true historian, history student or keep on observing the nooks of Mumbai, this will be a piece of special news for you. The BMC is planning to restore ‘pyaus’ across South Bombay. Read on to know about pyaus and its story!
Pyaus To Quench Your Thirst!
Pyaus are historic structures built in the 19th century which helped people access drinking water easily. The pyaus are basically drinking water fountains found in Mumbai. As per reports, BMC was planning the restoration of these fountains in Mumbai for a long time, but couldn’t. Now, taking a significant step in the process, the BMC has decided that it is going to trace down all the pyaus in the city. With time, they will restore the existing ones, and mark the disappeared ones with dummy installations. It is said that these structures in Mumbai were built around open-air markets and trading hubs.
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Restoring the Disappearing Pyaus Fountains In Mumbai
According to a news report by The Indian Express, The BMC has been able to restore only 4 structures around the city. The city currently has 22 pyaus to be restored and around 100 pyaus have already disappeared from the city. The news report further had Rahul Chemburkar from Vaastu Vidhaan, heading the project quote, ‘Pyaus are an important aspect of Mumbai’s socio-cultural history. Not only were they an expression of philanthropy, but are an icons of equality. Moreover, water is an integral socio-cultural element and pyaus express this. This concept inspired the idea of restoring them in an effort to preserve the historical identity of the city.’
BMC official too, spoke to The Indian Express, saying, ‘BMC began the restoration process with these four pyaus, and several smaller projects were undertaken to restore them across the city. Going forward, the plan is to restore the remaining 18 together, so that the circuit can be launched. The costing for the project is underway, on the basis of which administrative approval will be sought. Because of the magnitude of the project, we had earlier decided to take it up in parts, and pyaus were restored as isolated projects too.’
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