The iconic Juma Masjid located in Kalbadevi near Crawford Market, has for long been synonymous with its natural pond surrounded by steps and teeming with different species of fish. However, the talaab has now been pumped of all water so that the mosque`s management can carry out a full-scale cleaning of its floor, and remove the mud and dirt from holes located in the ground from where water flows in.

Shuaib Khatib, chairman of the Juma Masjid of Bombay Trust, said, “We are carrying out such an extensive cleaning process for the first time in almost 30 years. It is a natural pond on which the mosque was constructed more than 230 years ago. It took us nearly eight days to pump all the water out. There are particular spots on the floor of the pond that had clogged over the years. We are cleaning and reopening them.”