Kolkata’s iconic Tala Tank dons city’s blue & white colour theme, sheds off burnt red hue

Kolkata: The century-old Tala Tank has now donned the city’s blue and white colour theme by shedding off its burnt red hue. About 26,000 litre of colour has been required for painting the inner as well as the outer side of the tank, that happens to be the largest overhead reservoir in the world, with the capacity to hold 9 million gallons of water.

“The process of thorough colouring of the tank was initiated after March 2023, after the renovation work was completed. About 9,000 litre of special type-food grade epoxy paint has been used in the interior while another 17000 litres of polyurethane (PU) paint coating has been given to the wall of the tank,” a senior official of KMC’s Water Supply department said.

Conventional paint could not be used for the interior of the tank as it contains drinking water. Food grade epoxy paint provides air drying, salt water resistant finish and anti-corrosive coating and most importantly has anti-fungal properties.

On the other hand, the PU paint has been used on the outer side due to its durability, corrosion resistant properties. It also offers protection of the colour from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

In 2015, when the engineers had conducted a thorough health check of the Tala Tank, they stumbled upon 20 small holes and then a decision for thorough repair of the same was taken. The renovation work that started in 2018 and was completed in March 2023, included structural member replacement, strengthening of the compartments with the wooden lid at the top of the tank and the base being replaced by MS Plates to ensure longevity.

“The major challenge during the rejuvenation work was to ensure that water supply did not get disrupted. The four compartments of the tank were repaired one by one and water supply remained unaffected during the entire period,” the official added.

The tank was set up by the British in 1909 and has been supplying water to the city since then. In 2009, some minor repair work was undertaken, but it was the first time when a complete overhaul of the tank had been undertaken. The tank is located on seven bigha land and has a height of 110 feet.

The total cost of the renovation has been to the tune of Rs 100 crore that included the painting part too. The Raj-era tank has withstood three earthquakes and three and three major cyclonic storms, including the severe cyclonic storm Amphan in May 2020. The chambers can store 3.6 crore litres of potable water supplied from Palta waterworks.