In 1878, the first overhead water tank was installed in Dhaka north of Bahadur Shah Park in old Dhaka, which is known as ‘Bahadur Shah Park Water Tank’ to the locals. Its architectural style, red brick structure, and construction techniques are so extraordinary and unique that it is bound to catch people’s attention. This structure is about the same length as a five-story house. However, it is no longer in use and completely closed in a somewhat abandoned state. No specific information is available as to when the tank was closed. It is believed by many to have ceased during the Pakistan era, and by some, to have ceased twenty years ago. The 145-year-old water tank currently stands as a useless, dilapidated colossal pillar and was declared a historical monument by the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) in mid-2020.
This Tank is located at Fokirapool in Dhaka. The fakirapool tank is made of steel. They are also quite large in size than ordinary tanks. The steel tank was installed in the early seventies. These tanks have a large water capacity approximately three to four hundred thousand or more gallons of capacity.
It is another overhead water tank located at Bijayanagar in Dhaka. It is made of concrete and quite large. These types of tanks are still seen in Dhaka and other parts of the country. These types of overhead water tanks can be seen in various places in Dhaka like Mirpur 10, Ganderia, Hatkhola Road in Tikatuli near Rajdhani Market, Fulbaria, Lalmatia, and other places. It can be seen outside of Dhaka like Khulna, Chittagong, and many other places.
Once upon a time, these huge overhead tanks were mainly used for water storage. The water was purified from the treatment plant and kept in reserve with the help of pumps. This system was intended to ensure that the local people would not suffer water shortages in case of pump failure or in times of crisis. During the 1970s or 1980s, the population of Dhaka was quite small. Currently, the population of this city is near to two crores. At present, WASA is struggling to provide water to the large population of Dhaka. Now many buildings or houses are constructed in Dhaka city, so there is no time to store water in the reserve tank as it used to take more than 10 hours to fill the tank. So now water is supplied directly to the house’s own reserve tank.
Although these overhead tanks are no longer used in the same way, they are now part of our memory and heritage. Well, does your country have such a type of water tank? I will know if you share with here.
