Mumbai’s well-known Taraporewala Aquarium is set to get a revamp along with a brand-new structure. It was closed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Later, a structural audit found the building unsafe. The aquarium will now be rebuilt completely.
The Fisheries Department of Maharashtra finalises the new design on Tuesday, April 15. The project will cost around INR 296 crore. It will replace the old building on Marine Drive, which was over 70 years old. The new building will be modern and much bigger.
The updated structure will be six storeys high. It will cover more than 20,000 square meters. The building will include new aquatic displays, learning areas, and public spaces. It is being planned as one of Asia’s top marine facilities.
The new building will come up on a 4,393 square metre plot. Some of these will be used for business or apartment spaces. There will also be 140 parking spaces, a rooftop café, and an open atrium.
The main highlight will be a large aquarium floor of 6,500 square metres. The main tank will hold 3.5 million litres of water. Marine education zones will also be included.
Plans are to make the aquarium one of Mumbai’s biggest attractions. An international agency created the final design. The work will begin soon.
The original aquarium opened in 1951. It was named after D.B. Taraporewala. The first president of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, had inaugurated it. In 2015, the aquarium was renovated. A 12-foot-long acrylic tunnel was added. It displayed over 400 species of marine and freshwater animals.
In 2022, a safety check by the Public Works Department found the structure unsafe. It was shut down. In 2023, more than 500 aquatic animals were moved to aquariums in Pune, Chandrapur, and Ahmedabad.
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