It’s because of their yearning to preserve tradition that many temple ponds in the city suburbs are maintained well either by temple committees or by civic bodies.

But the condition of the pond at the Nettoor Sree Mahadeva temple is pitiable.

In the famous temple spread over six acres of land, the temple pond is situated in the North-South direction, occupying nearly two and a half acres. Old folks residing in the area still remember the well-maintained temple pond with lotus flowers.

Thousands of devotees from various parts of the district used to perform the last rites of their ancestors on the banks of the huge pond. The most auspicious offering for Lord Siva of Nettoor temple is ‘dhaara’ for which thousands of pots of water is needed. Water for this purpose is taken from the well situated inside the temple. The water level in the nearby wells and ponds was maintained by the high ground water level in the pond. Till recently the temple pond was the main source of potable water for people in the nearby areas. But as the soil and waste from the nearby road began to flow to the pond, it became a dumping yard. Now the condition of the pond is quite pathetic as the silt has begun to settle in the basement.

More than half of the temple pond is filled with plants. In the absence of any de-silting process, the water in the pond is unfit for drinking. Moreover, the mud covered base of the pond has begun to spoil the water in nearby wells and small water bodies.

The mud filled pond water has also made the water in the well inside the temple unfit for being used in the ‘thidappilly’ (temple kitchen) and also for the ‘dhaara’.

Though the temple committee, with the support of the Kochi Devaswom Board, submitted a request for including the pond in the proposed project for protecting the drinking water sources in the State, the file is waiting for the mercy of the department heads concerned. Irrigation Minister N K Premachandran had recently visited the temple for inaugurating the renovation package of the temple.

The temple committee had then brought the matter to his notice and he assured that steps would be taken for its renovation.

The need of the hour is to clean the temple pond, a step which will be helpful to hundreds of people. Once the pond gets a facelift, it will be a blessing for the people residing near it as the ground water resources - including the nearby wells - will provide adequate potable water. It must be ensured that the sides of the temple should be properly protected with granite basement.

Those residing near the Nettoor Sree Mahadeva temple are eagerly awaiting a positive response from the authorities concerned.