Hakim inaugurates repaired Talla reservoir

Kolkata: Mayor Firhad Hakim inaugurated the overhead reservoirs of Talla Pumping station situated in the north-western portion after repair work on Wednesday.

The estimated cost of repairing the reservoirs is Rs 80 crore, of which 70% will be borne by the state government, while the Centre will bear the remaining 30%. The amount spent to repair the reservoirs on the northern portion will be around Rs 42 crore. Repairing of all the reservoirs will be done before 2020, Hakim said.

The KMC engineers, along with their counterparts in Bridge and Roof - a Central government PSU, have been overseeing the repair work.

Hakim said the present civic board took up the repair work in May 2017, after the reservoirs were found to be in shambles. Talla tank is the world's largest overhead reservoir, located 110 feet above the ground. The reservoirs are being repaired in phases so that the supply of filtered water to Kolkata remains undisturbed. The reservoirs can hold 9 million gallons of water. The construction work began in 1909 and the reservoirs became fully operational in 1911.

Hakim said the reservoirs have not been repaired since its inauguration. The KMC took up the repair work as it could have collapsed any time. "Just as we are repairing the reservoirs after 100 years, the people will acknowledge the contribution of the present civic board 100 years later," he said.

The overhead reservoirs were designed by W B MacCabe, the then chief engineer of KMC. The Palta Water Works was set up in 1868 and the filtered water was sent to Tallah.

The unique feature of Talla pumping station is that the pipes that fill the tank are also used for delivery. The land to set up the overhead reservoir was donated by Babu Khelat Ghosh, after whom a lane situated close to the Talla pumping station has been renamed.

Hakim also visited Mohammad Ali Park, where a portion of the underground reservoir has been badly damaged. He said experts from Jadavpur University have been consulted and they will submit a plan which will be passed on to the Durga Puja organisers.

"We want to help the people organise the puja and at the same time their safety and security should be ensured," he said.