Water on tap, with tank
Availability of water often turns out to be the deciding factor when closing deals for residential land. Construction companies selling flats with round-the-clock water supply use that as a selling point.
Water supply has become a problem even in a State such as Kerala which receives good rain, notwithstanding the lean monsoon this year. Bad water management and poor supply make people go for storage tanks in their houses.
Usually, underground storage tanks with a minimum capacity of 2,000 litres are installed, says a representative of Ferrocon Storage Tanks, which makes ferro-cement tanks. The tank capacity is raised to guard against supply disruptions if the family depends solely on the Kerala Water Authority.
Those having wells or other water sources have a dual supply-use routine — using the water supplied by the authority for drinking and cooking and that from other sources for cleaning and bathing. Earlier, all underground tanks were of concrete, but newer materials have taken over. Ferro-cement tanks and plastic tanks, pioneered by Sintex, have become the people’s choice despite a little extra cost.
Ferro-cement underground tanks are available in capacities from 750 litres to 5,000 litres with a one-inch shell thickness.
A manufacturer says these occupy half the space concrete tanks need and are most convenient when houses are built on 3 to 4 cents of land. As they are pre-cast, the tanks can be easily installed.
Once the specifications are given, the tank is made and fixed in the given area. The installation cost is around Rs. 5 a litre, including labour and transport costs, says a Ferrocon representative. The tank is leak-proof and is tested before installation. Ferrocon gives a 15-year warranty, the representative says.
Unlike a concrete tank, this can be relocated to another compound or shifted from one place to the other on one premises. Sintex tanks too can be relocated or reused, says a distributor of the tanks made of virgin plastic of food-grade quality. High-end buildings and corporate offices go for these tanks, priced at the rate of Rs. 4.50 a litre.
SHYAMA RAJAGOPAL
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