Reading the title you must be thinking that there would be an open pond inside the Walled City of Lahore full of water and the residents would be using it. Well that’s not the case! It’s a water reservoir, a closed building that was built by the British in 1883. To access it there are two routes. One starts from Delhi Gate from where you go up to Golden Mosque and take a right from there (Rang Mehal Chowk). After a few feet, you will find a red brick building on your right with a plaque on it stating its construction date. The other route is much easier which is from Taxali Gate. You can walk through Chowk Heera Mandi towards Lahnga Mandi (music market) and take your way straight to Rang Mahal Chowk. There on the straight path you will come across this building on your left. Well, both the routes are architecturally appealing and interesting with decorated havelis and colorful markets. In case you are lost, you can ask any passerby and you will get the right directions. When the reservoir was built, it had the capacity to store ten thousand gallons of water in it at a time and it is doing so even today, after all these years. In the past it was the only main source of distribution of water to the entire walled city; now other sources are also being used as the population and needs increased This water reservoir was constructed during the British Raj and was inaugurated by Sir Charles Umpherston Aitchson, the then Lieutenant Governor of Punjab. The British had designed a water supply mechanism for the entire walled city by developing this reservoir. It was constructed at the highest point of walled city, as the city was built on a mound. The reason for constructing it there was through sloping grounds it could reach the streets and house hold units inside the walled city. It was something new for the locals of the area at that time as they were used to fetch water from the wells. So this was a treat for them and thus they started calling it ‘Pani Wala Talaab’. Historic accounts tell us that until 1881 the city was dependent on wells for drinking purposes but in June of that year, water works for provision of modern clean drinking water system were formally opened for public. At the time, the system was built in a way that water, drawn from 6 wells sunk in a strip of land located on the old course of river Ravi, was directed to a reservoir, located at the highest part of the city. Historic references also tell us that in those days the average depth of water wells in Lahore was about 45 to 50 feet (13 to 15 meters) but this scenario has completely changed now, and we do not find any functional wells either. Now let me tell you an interesting fact about this reservoir. When it was built, it had the capacity to store ten thousand gallons of water in it at a time and it is doing so even today, after all these years. In the past it was the only main source of distribution of water to the entire walled city; now other sources are also being used as the population and needs increased. The reservoir was constructed and planned to serve the walled city for next hundred years and miraculously it did. The surprising information is that till now the reservoir is functional and supplies water to the Walled City of Lahore. Inside the reservoir the water is reserved in huge tanks placed in a depressing unexciting hall like room. The building has a main hall and few small alleys and corridors one of which leads you to the roof top. The huge pipes can be seen inside the hall and the date of their fixture (1800s) is engraved on them. The regrettable thing which happened with this reservoir over the passage of time is that it never got the status of a monument or an important place. It remained ‘just another reservoir’ in Lahore. This led to the depreciation of this antique building and thus at present it is in a derelict condition but still supplying the water and serving its purpose. I am afraid that if the maintenance and conservation of this building is not carried out, it will soon collapse as the roof top is already crumbling. The engaging thing is that the broken pieces of the roof have become a source of light for the reservoir during electricity load shedding and pigeons can easily make their way into the building. No photographer, tourist or common man is allowed to go inside this place. The place has not been cleaned since ages. The walls need to be painted and plastered as it is chipping off. You will find a significant dust on all pipes and appliances placed inside the hall. The same pipes are supplying water to the walled city till now. Some technical experts told me that some of the pipes have leakages now which would soon start harming the neighborhood. The possession of the place is with the WASA department, government of Punjab. The place is in shambles and that is one reason that the tourists are not allowed to enter in the building. I think that this place can serve as a wonderful tourist spot as the neighborhood is extremely interesting. As you reach this place right opposite to it, you can have enticing pakoras and samosa; the most famous ones in walled city. Nearby are the largest bangle market and the Rang Mehal Chowk, which is the shopping hub of the walled city. You can also find old havelis like Kimla Building near this reservoir and thus it shows that this place was of the elite in the past, but at present we have ruined it. This 185 years old building should be taken up as a monument now and I wonder why this hasn’t been done so far. The place is right there on the main road and accessible by anyone. I think it should be turned into a tourist spot and opened for public as a museum. There can be guided tours of this place for a limited time or at least on the weekends. History plaques and past pictures of the place can be placed there which would surely excite the tourists. It’s about time we started treating old buildings as an asset and conserve them with best methodologies so that they are preserved for the coming generations to admire. Published in Daily Times, May 14th 2018.