The water tanks in Salt Lake, the oldest landmarks in the township still used by many to find their way around, are being repaired and revamped.

Most of these tanks are now in disrepair. Paint peeling off, their numbers barely visible from a distance, the tanks are like many other things in the township: a picture of neglect.

Instances of concrete chunks falling off and malfunctioning pumps and their electrical operating systems are also common, a senior official in the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation said.

There are 15 water tanks across Sectors I, II and III in Salt Lake.

Each tank’s capacity is 1.2 lakh gallons, and together they supply water to over 26,000 households in the planned areas as well ascommercial establishments, hospitals and offices in Salt Lake.

An engineer in the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation said the concrete storage units of the tanks are being emptied and cleaned in the first phase of the revamp.

“We are removing all the debris and sediments from the water storage chambers. Once the chambers dry up, they will be replastered,” the engineer said.

Salt Lake needs around 15 million gallons of water every day. The New Town water treatment plant supplies 10-12 million gallons, while the rest comes from the Tallah-Palta network.

The water from the New Town plant is stored in the 15 water tanks and two underground reservoirs on the premises of tank numbers 13 and 5.

The stored water is supplied across Salt Lake, an engineer of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation said.

According to the engineer, the pumps or electrical systems in the tanks often malfunction because of age, disrupting supply. “The incidence of malfunction will reduce once the new pumps and electrical infrastructure are installed, resulting in improved supply,” the engineer said.

The tanks with their numbers emblazoned on the sides came up in phases with the first lot built in Sector I in the 1970s.

Since then residents and visitors have used the tanks as geographical reference points. The practice of giving directions based on the numbers assigned to the tanks stuck. It is still prevalent in Salt Lake, where several bus stops are named after tank numbers, such as 4, 7, 8, 9, and 13.

According to the engineer, the pumps in the tanks are over 35 years old. The pumps will be replaced with higher-powered ones and each tank will be equipped with a couple of backup pump sets.

The electrical system inside the water tanks, including the control panels that are used to operate the pumps and other equipment, will also be revamped, the engineer said.

Tulsi Sinha Roy, the mayoral council member in charge of the water supply department at the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, said the revamp would cost more than ₹23.5 crore.

“We have received the funds from the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme and have started work,” said Sinha Roy.