Madhya Pradesh village’s wait for water goes on: ‘Nearly complete’ tank collapses, 1 sub-engineer suspended

BHOPAL: A newly constructed overhead water tank under the Jal Jeevan Mission collapsed during its first testing in Khatkhari village of Mauganj district on Saturday, raising serious concerns over construction quality and oversight.

The 75,000-litre capacity tank, built to supply drinking water to around 3,000 residents, gave way early in the morning as it was being filled. Officials said leakages appeared within hours of testing. Soon after, the entire structure collapsed, spilling thousands of litres into nearby fields. No injuries were reported as the site is located away from residential areas.

The project, estimated at over Rs 75 lakh for the tank alone and much higher including pipeline works, was aimed at supplying drinking water to a population of around 3,000. For villagers, it was a long-awaited facility. For now, it has turned into debris.

Preliminary findings by authorities point to negligence and poor quality control in the case.

A sub-engineer from the Public Health Engineering Department has been suspended, and a detailed inquiry has been initiated.

At the village, anger is quiet but deep.

Sarpanch Saroj Jaiswal said, "We were yet to take the handover from the public health engineer department. It was being tested, pipelines have now been laid. The officials were asking me to take the handover on behalf of the panchayat but I was adamant that I will take the handover only after it is run for at least 6 months. Yesterday water was lifted in the evening. And today in the wee hours close to 5 am the water tank collapsed. Thankfully it was not in the populated areas or it would have led to an accident."

The incident has sparked concern among villagers and highlighted lapses in execution of rural infrastructure projects. For now, Khatkhari residents continue to wait for a reliable water supply.