Originally, it was located in a garden courtyard setting and was meant to serve as a social space for merchants. The uncontrolled proliferation of shops around it led to a drastic change in setting, and today
vegetable and fruit sellers often set up their stalls around it or use the structure to temporarily store their wares.[2]
In 1985, the crown of the fountain was damaged when a canopy was being raised over it. The Kipling river goddesses frieze was also painted over by someone with the intention to restore their "modesty", as claimed in a note left by the conscientious painter on the fountain.[3] In 2016-17, as part of a larger project, restoration work was carried out on the fountain by a team led by conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah, but thereafter the structure continued to be used as a mini warehouse or a dumping site for plastic bags, water bottles or garbage.[4]