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After ‘faulty’ start, 1,800-kl water tank razed safely

ByAnimesh Mishra, Lucknow
Jan 25, 2025 07:08 AM IST

The agency began bringing down the pillars first without dismantling the structure from the top, a Jal Nigam official said.

A three-decade-old water tank was pulled down safely on Friday after residents and officials raised safety concerns and alleged that the hired agency adopted a “highly irresponsible and unsafe” method to carry out the exercise.

The water tank that was demolished at Sector F of LDA Colony on Friday (HT)
The water tank that was demolished at Sector F of LDA Colony on Friday (HT)

The 1,800-kilolitre (kl) water tank, whose demolition began earlier this week, was located at Sector F of LDA Colony on Kanpur Road. The agency began bringing down the pillars first without dismantling the structure from the top, a Jal Nigam official said. The tank was surrounded by densely-packed localities on its sides.

Sameen Akhtar, the superintending engineer of Jal Nigam, claimed that the company had deviated from the standard demolition protocols, creating a major safety risk for residents. “Water tanks of this size and structure must always be dismantled from the top. Chopping the pillars was highly irresponsible and unsafe,” Akhtar claimed.

Akhtar said the agency had been issued a notice, and added strict action would be taken against it.

One of the operators of the agency responded: “We took care of the safety concerns before the demolition exercise began...”

Residents recounted the tense moments leading up to the demolition, with many staying awake through the night to monitor the situation. Akhil expressed anger over the agency’s ‘negligent’ approach: “Because of its careless actions, we lived in constant fear. Cutting down the tank’s pillars without proper safety measures could have led to a disaster,” he said.

Another resident, who lives right next to the demolished tank, said: “I couldn’t sleep until the tank was brought down safely. I spent the entire night on my balcony, keeping an eye on it for my family’s safety,” he said.

The old tank will now be replaced with a structure with 2,000-kilolitre capacity just a few meters away in the same park.

This incident has raised serious questions about the accountability and qualifications of private contractors handling critical infrastructure projects. Jal Nigam officials assured residents that steps would be taken to ensure such lapses did not occur in the future.

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