It’s Only Jan, But Kanchi Temple Tanks Are Bone Dry

CHENNAI: Most of the temple tanks in the temple town of Kanchipuram have dried up just a month after the north-east monsoon rains leading to fears of depletion of groundwater this summer.

The devotees, residents and social activists complain that the canals bringing water to the tanks are covered with mud and encroached in several areas, resulting in the present situation. The residents and the devotees are shocked to see the temple tanks remaining bone dry in January itself, despite Kanchipuram receiving good rains during the north-east monsoon. There are 44 water bodies inside the town, including temple tanks, ponds and lakes like the Allabad and Orikkai lakes.

The temple tanks are under the control of the Kanchipuram Corporation which has not taken any action to ensure the flow of water in the canals carrying water to them.

The water resources department, Kanchipuram Corporation and the other local bodies around the town had not initiated action to renovate the canals. People said the temple tanks had turned dry even by the end of December.

Most of the tanks do not have proper rainwater harvesting facilities and even heavy rains do not fill up the water bodies. The temple tanks were dug up in the past to ensure groundwater in the surrounding areas. If they turned dry, the areas around it will not have groundwater, leading to water scarcity, said the residents.

The canals bringing water to the tanks had not been maintained properly and they are covered with mud in most places. At many places, the canals are encroached, resulting in blocking of the rainwater and flooding in the nearby areas.

The Onakandheeswarar temple tank in Periya Kanchipuram used to be filled with water every year and the nearby areas had not seen any scarcity of groundwater. However, this year, the tank, under the Hindu religious and charitable endowments (HR & CE) department, remains dry.

The Mangala theertha kulam of the Mangaleswarar temple, near Ekambaranathar temple, is maintained by the Ekambaranathar temple management. The Kanchipuram Corporation allocated funds to desilt and renovate the canals carrying water to the tank but the work was not carried out properly. The temple tank called the Managala theertha kulam has also gone dry,

The Kumarakottam Subramanya Swamy temple was renovated but the canals bringing water to the tank were not desilted, turning the temple tank bone dry. The Rangaswamy temple tank was renovated but it did not receive water since the canals carrying water were blocked by encroachments.

The Nagareeswarar temple tank in the town also faces the same problem due to lack of maintenance. The Ashtabuja Perumal temple tank was renovated before the temple consecration but the canals remain blocked. The Ulagalandha Perumal temple tank, too, was desilted and renovated but the canals were not desilted. The Vaikunta Perumal temple, under the archaeological department, also remains dry.

The residents urge the district administration, HR & CE, highways and water resources development to desilt all the temple tanks and the canals bringing water to them. The devotees who visit the temples said the temple managements are responsible only for maintenance. The Corporation and water resources department are responsible for the renovation of the canals. The rainwater is wasted during every monsoon season as it flows on the roads and residential houses but the Corporation has not taken action against encroachment of water bodies and canals.

A Corporation official said the civic body, along with the water resources department, is devising schemes to remove the encroachments and ensure flow of water into the tanks.