Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Temple tank restoration held up

Thiruvananthapuram: Restoration of the Padmatheertham temple tank has been held up, as reopening the inlet and outlet channels that once provided it a flushing mechanism has been delayed.

The project to restore one of the oldest water bodies in the city began last year and is expected to enter the next phase shortly. The work has been taken up by the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple Trust.

The first phase, which involves water purification by increasing the dissolved oxygen content, has been extended beyond the scheduled three months to make up for the time lost during the rainy season. The trust has installed six pumps to spray jets of water into the pond three hours in the morning and evening.

The pumps help to aerate the water by surface agitation. Gradually, as the dissolved oxygen content goes up, friendly bacteria that help to clean up the water and algae will be generated. There is also a proposal to introduce bacteria that eat up impurities.

In the second phase, a slurry pump will be used to remove sludge from the bottom of the water body.

Temple administrator Parameswaran Nair said the extraction of sludge would begin only after the water quality reached satisfactory levels. He said the decision to ban bathing in the pond had helped to improve the water quality.

“A large number of devotees used to visit the temple tank and take a bath, especially during the [Sabarimala] pilgrim season every year. The oil and soap used by them were a major source of contamination. The devotees also used to dump food waste into the water,” he said.

“Once the pond was closed to pilgrims, the effect began to be felt. The spray-jet mechanism also helped to improve the quality of water.”

Padmatheertham was originally designed with the flushing mechanism, constructed during the Travancore era, that brought in water from the Kochar, a tributary of the Killi river. The excess water was then diverted to the nearby Pathrakulam, from where it was redirected to the Thekkanamkara canal. The system helped to maintain the level and quality of water in the pond.

Over time, the pipes bringing water from the Kochar were blocked by encroachments, while the Pathrakulam was reclaimed. The last major renovation of the pond took place in 1989, when the district administration joined hands with voluntary agencies and political parties to pump out the water and clean the bed.

Last year, the district administration decided to restore the pipes bringing water to the tank after chemical examination of water samples revealed bacterial contamination. The Water Resources Department was asked to clear the blocks in the 6-km old iron pipeline from Maruthankuzhy to East Fort through the Kochar road. Officials identified missing links at three locations along the Killi-Padmatheertham route: 200 metres at Kannettumukku (at the railway crossing); 30 metres near the railway gate on Power House Road; and 10 metres at a point across the Amayizhanchan canal on Thakarapparambu Road.

A meeting convened by the Revenue Divisional Officer last year decided to send notices to the Kerala Water Authority (KWA), Southern Railway and the Road Fund Board to restore these links.

The Pollution Control Board reported last year that the water in the Killi — at the source of the Kochar — was of “river quality” and could be let into the pond.

The Irrigation Department was directed to open the outlet to the Thekkanamkara canal to ensure proper flushing.

“Restoring the outlet will involve opening up a circuitous route, bypassing the buildings that have sprung up all around. As a temple tank, the Padmatheertham is supposed to be kept open for the use of pilgrims. Once the flushing mechanism is restored, we hope to permit devotees,” Mr. Nair said.

Local people and pilgrims have been demanding steps to conserve the pond and provide basic amenities. There is only one public comfort station. Hawkers along the perimeter of the pond and nearby hotels have been accused of dumping garbage into the water. The blocked drains on adjacent roads lead to heavy overflow of storm water into the pond during rain.

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