KMC completes Rs 100-cr restoration of Tala tank
The iconic Tala water tank in north Kolkata, a British-era structure constructed 113 years ago to supply treated water to the city’s populace, and which currently supplies 3.6 crore litres of potable water every day, recently underwent its first major renovation.
The restoration was carried out by Bridge and Roof Company, a public sector firm of a similar vintage, under the aegis of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).
Spanning an area equivalent to one-and-a-half football fields, the restoration project lasted seven years, facing delays due to disruptions caused by the COVID pandemic and thus incurring expenses of Rs 100 crore.
During the restoration, carried out under the aegis of the approximately 3,600 tonnes of steel were incorporated to reinforce the structure, while the interior walls and floors of its four chambers received a coating of food-grade paint. The exterior too underwent painting, for which 1.3 lakh litres of UV-repellent, corrosion-resistant paint was used.
Notably, the steel utilised for fortifying the tank was imported from the United Kingdom and matches the quality of that employed in constructing the famous ship, RMS Titanic.
Situated on 7 bighas of land donated by local philanthropist Babu Khelat Ghosh in the early 20th century, the tank was a solution to Kolkata’s water supply challenges devised by Assistant Engineer Arthur Pierce and Chief Engineer WB MacCabe of the then Calcutta Corporation.
Despite enduring various calamities such as the 1934 earthquake, World War II aerial bombings and, more recently, Cyclone Amphan, the tank has remained resilient. KMC officials have expressed confidence in the tank’s reinforced durability, anticipating its continued functionality for another century.
