An overhead water tank in Patuli on the southeastern fringes of Kolkata collapsed late on Wednesday injuring an employee of the civic body whose left leg had to be amputated on Thursday.
The tank was maintained by, or supposed to be maintained by, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. The 56-year-old employee, an operator of the tank, was leaving after checking whether the tank had been filled. The tank, which was built in 1978 by the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, underwent repairs in 2015, said Swaraj Kumar Mondal, the KMC councillor of Ward 110.
The tank used to hold about 15 million gallons of water, which is about half its capacity, said Mondal.
He added that the civic body used to replenish the tank with the volume around 8pm every evening for supply the next morning. The water was supplied from a larger water reservoir in Patuli. The tank collapsed after it had been replenished with the day’s volume of water. “The tank collapsed around 9pm on Wednesday. There was a crashing sound. The operator, who was coming out after checking the water level, got trapped in the debris,” said Mondal.
“He was admitted to Peerless Hospital. He underwent surgery on Thursday. His left leg had to be amputated,” Mondal said. Areas including South End Garden, Milan Park, Briji, Serampur and Garia Park received water from the tank. The collapse triggered fear among civic officials and Mondal that parts of Ward 110 might not receive water on Thursday. However, the water supply on Thursday morning was not affected. The collapse led the civic body to suspend the Covid vaccination programme in the Ward 110 on Thursday as the health unit is located on the same campus where the tank is situated.