17 temple tanks to be revived

CHENNAI: When Chennai witnessed massive floods in December last year, the tank of Kasi Viswanathar temple at Ayanavaram remained dry with concrete structures surrounding it preventing entry of rainwater into it. Chennai Metro water along with Greater Chennai Corporation and Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department with the support of Rain Centre is planning to divert run off rainwater from residential colonies and the interior streets in the adjacent areas into the temple tank to give it a new lease of life.

A consultation meeting with local residents was held last week by officials of various department and Sekhar Raghavan, Director of   Rain Centre to explain modalities of the implementation of the project, T. K. Viswanatha Davay, temple trustee told DC.  Residents are very keen to see the tank brimming with water, he said. Kasi Viswanathar temple tank was one among the 17 temple tanks identified by  HR and CE that did not get filled up during last year floods for revival under the Metro water’s Sustainable Water Security Mission programme.

The revival of temple tanks is a long drawn process, says Raghavan. “First, we are planning to divert the urban run off water from roads via stormwater drain into the tanks with the help of Chennai Corporation. For this, we want the corporation to identify the drains that do not carry any sewage as the temple tanks are holy place. Then we will divert it into the tank,” he said. Second stage of the project would be sensitising the residents living around the tank to create proper rainwater harvesting structures, he said,” he said. The success of the programme depends on the active participation of local residents, he said, adding that after the completion of the works, local residents along with the temple authorities would be entrusted with the maintenance of the tank.

A HR and CE official said after completion of the work, they are hopeful of holding float festivals next year. “We want the tank beds to be covered by clayey soils to retain rainwater and also to prevent water seepage,” the official said. However, Raghavan said that he had suggested spreading of a thin layer of clay in the tank beds, as it will serve both the purpose of retention of water and allowing water seepage into the aquifer.

Lack of proper rainwater harvesting affecting temple tanks storage: Experts

Lack of proper rainwater harvesting structures around the temple tank to recharge the highly exploited groundwater table is the main reason for some of the temple tanks inability to retain the substantial amount of water received during monsoon says experts. Kasi Viswanathar temple tank in Ayanavaram could not hold water for more than few hours in December last year as the ground water table in the locality was very low. While Both Sri Virupaksheeswarar Temple and Madhava Perumal Temple tanks in Mylapore had water only for a few weeks.

Sekhar Raghavan of Rain Centre said that one of the reasons for low groundwater table in Aynavaram, Mylapre and Thriuvottiyurwas due to presence of more numbers of street houses. “The street houses are those which are fully built with main doors on the street and has no space to build rain harvesting structures. In those houses, the rain water collected in the rooftops are mostly let out in the streets,” he said.

Citing the example of Kasi Viswanathar temple tank in Ayanavaram, he said that the locality has a sandy soil upto 90 ft which is very ideal for groundwater recharge. “The people living around the tank are sucking groundwater and hence the water table has gone down drastically. In the absence of proper groundwater recharge, the water table is remaining very low. Any amount of water that enters the tank seeps into the aquifer,” he explained the reason for the tank remaining dry even after the last year’s flood. He said that only if the water table rises to the level of 20 feet below the ground level, the rainwater entering the tank would be retained.