Overhead water tank collapses in Rajkot, no injuries reported

Local people said that the tank was in a poor condition and they had written to the municipality for repairing it. They said that a major disaster was averted as nobody was present at the spot when the accident occurred.

Rajkot: One of the two overhead water tanks on Kolki Road in Upleta city in Rajkot collapsed on Monday. A major disaster was averted since no one was around at the time when the accident occurred.

The tank collapsed with a loud noise and debris accumulated in front of the nearby houses. Along with this, water spilled over on the roads and entered the houses. A huge crowd gathered at the spot after the incident. Fortunately, no one was injured.

The two tanks on the Kolki Road have a capacity of six lakh litres of water. These tanks were set up under the Venu Irrigation Scheme. Water from these tanks is distributed to several households in the area.

In the past, many residents lodged complaints at the municipality stating that the tanks were in a dilapidated condition and might collapse at any moment. But, no initiative was taken by the administration to repair these. Now, following the sudden collapse of one of the tanks, debris and water gushed out into the surrounding areas.

"The storage tanks of Venu Irrigation Scheme have been in dilapidated condition for a long time. Locals had been apprehending that these may collapse any time causing a major disaster. Being a conscious citizen, I brought the matter to the municipality's notice several times. I have also filed a written complaint in this regard. But the administration did not take any measure to repair it. It is only natural for an accident like this to happen," Ramabhai Ranabhai Solanki, a former member of Upleta Municipality said.