Tank you: Now, a strong wall for Sankey

Tank you: Now, a strong wall for Sankey
BMP Learns Lessons As Rs 4-Crore Project Goes Down The Drain
The Times of India

Bangalore: Virtually, a Rs 4-crore project was washed away in Sankey Tank during last year’s monsoon. Reason: The retaining wall built as part of BMP’s Sankey Tank rejuvenation project collapsed unable to hold water pressure.

Lessons learnt, the BMP is remodelling the tank to take on this year’s monsoon. The base of the wall will now be widened from 0.5 metres to 0.9 metres, height of the wall increased from 1 metre to 1.5 metres and height of bund also increased by 0.7 metres above the full tank level. Scientists suggested these changes as the tank’s retaining wall is subjected to water pressure on one side and earth’s pressure from the opposite side.

IISc has given the design and the BMP is ploughing in another Rs 1.5 crore. The 1.6-km-long walkway is being laid with stone slabs. While the 900-metre stretch of walkway in the western and the eastern sides is ready, the rest will be laid shortly.

The beautification work of the eight acres of the landscape is under way. While horticulturists have planted grass and other saplings along the 400 metres of the landscape in the western side, the remaining work is expected to be completed in a fortnight.

Going into a flashback, when the retaining wall collapsed last year, it flooded Malleswaram and Sadashivanagar. Two years ago, the BMP restored the tank which was polluted with discharge of untreated sewage, defecation on tank bed due to lack of public toilets and idol immersions.

The Rs 4-cr work comprised removal of 80,000 cubic metres silt, construction of a separate idol immersion tank, a new storm water drain in the down stream, construction of new toilets and electrification of the area.
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Sankey Tank is the first tank in its stream which covers an area of 14.5 hectares with a shore line length of 2.11 km.

Catchment areas comprise 133.65 hectares.
While the tank gets major quantity of water from the drain which starts at IISc, drains from Rajmahal Vilas extension, CV Raman Road and Sadashivanagar, a part of Malleswaram joins the tank at various places.