MADURAI: Water is being pumped up to the Teppakulam tank in Madurai from the river Vaigai for the ensuing float festival of Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple, but the people of Anupanadi are apprehensive whether this year too there would be enough water for the event. The temple has been conducting static float festivals for the past two years due to lack of water.
The Mariamman Teppakulam — about 305 metres long and 290 metres wide — is one of the biggest temple tanks in the state. It is said to have been dug to construct the palace of king Thirumalai Naicker way back in 1645 AD. Since then, it has been used as the temple tank of the Meenakshi temple situated about four kilometres away. The float festival is held on the day of 'Thaipoosam' every year when the deities are brought from the temple to the grandly decorated float on the tank.
``The tank was so designed that Vaigai water flowed into it from Manalur through channels laid for the purpose. But now since all these channels are blocked or damaged, the temple administration is artificially pumping water from a spot near the Anna Nagar flyover, spending lakhs of rupees in a futile effort,'' said Subramanian, a resident of Anupanadi. Seven motors — six of 10 HP capacity and another of 7 HP — function round-the-clock pumping water into the tank when the river has water.
The float festival was last held in a fully filled tank in 2013, after which the float was dragged through slush and mud. Last year even that was not possible due to the absence of water. Now, with water being released from the Vaigai dam, the water has once again been pumped up, but not even the full tank floor has been filled in the last fifteen days.
Pandeeswari of Chinthamani says that the authorities should stop pumping and wasting water. It should at least be given to the farmers for irrigation. They point out that the water release would soon be stopped and it would start drying with the sewage letting out a foul smell. Former MLA R Nanmaran of CPM said that the PWD should not pump the dirty water — which was more of sewage — into the tank.
G Selvakumar of Iravadanallur says that the bad smell from the water being pumped in has made many morning walkers skip the area . ``Storing water permanently in this tank and making it a tourist spot is a poll promise that no politician has fulfilled'', he said. The tank is not even cleared of the garbage before water is pumped in, he added. Temple sources said that they expected more water to be released to achieve their goal of having a proper float festival this year.
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