The Hindu 10.06.2013
Water scarcity hits annual rites at Amma Mandapam
only source:Water flowing in a trickle from a handpump at Amma Mandapam bathing ghat in Tiruchi. —Photo: M. Moorthy
With the Cauvery river remaining bone dry for nearly six months now, the water table across the city has fallen sharply.
The
gravity of the situation is brought out nowhere better than at Amma
Mandapam bathing ghat, right on the river bank, where a borewell is
rapidly failing.
The borewell fitted with a hand pump
is the only potable water source in the bathing ghat, which is thronged
by scores of people every day to perform rituals in memory of their
ancestors. Purohits, who conduct the rituals, complain that they are
facing a scarcity of water.
The corporation has
provided the necessary infrastructure at the bathing ghat including
sheds for people and their purohits to perform the annual rites on the
death anniversaries of their ancestors. But inadequate drinking water
supply is proving to be major problem, complain purohits. Water is also
supplied through a water tank on the premises, but the purohits say that
the tank is open and hence the water unsafe for consumption.
Over the past 10 to 15 days, the water flows in a trickle from the hand pump that too after repeated pumping for a few minutes.
“On
most days the flow dries as the water level goes down. Water could be
pumped only for a couple of hours in the morning when the borewell got
some water overnight,” says A.S.Thiruvenkatachari, president, Tiruchi
Mandala Purohits Association, Srirangam branch. “This is a place visited
by scores of people every day for performing rites. Water is essential
for them and us. People are now forced to buy drinking water in bottles
even to perform the rites,” says V.Jayaraman, a purohit.
Some
of the purohits allege that a damaged pipe of the borewell that runs
into the ground has been removed by civic officials but not replaced so
far. A few others also charged that the water tanks meant for bathing
are not being filled up regularly and adequately by the contractor, and
often people face problems in getting water for bathing too. “Water is
pumped into the tanks only for about a couple of hours and this is not
adequate,” another purohit said.
Mr.
Thiruvenkatachari, who has represented the matter to the authorities,
says that the corporation is earning substantial revenue through the
auction of the tonsuring centre and has to provide the necessary
amenities required for the people.
Corporation
officials point out that a temporary plastic tank has been placed on the
road near the bathing ghat and filled with water every day, but the
purohits maintain that it is quite far away and suggest that the tank be
placed inside the bathing ghat.
Water tanks meant for bathing are not being filled up regularly, adequately by the contractor’
A temporary plastic tank placed on the road near ghat is filled with water every day: corporation
