Residents of Ayanavaram were shocked a few days ago when dead fishes surfaced in a temple tank covered with vegetation. The tank, belonging to Parasurama Eswaran temple, has been left grossly neglected for several years now.
Like many other waterbodies, this tank too is often used as a makeshift dumping yard by some commercial establishments and people in the neighbourhood. Covered with vegetation known as duckweed, the tank poses a picture of neglect.
With the vegetation growth cited as a reason for decreasing oxygen levels in water, elected representatives, along with Chennai Corporation and Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE ) Department, are jointly involved in the exercise. Fish nets and fibre boats from Kasimedu are being used to clear the duckweeds and dead fishes from the waterbody.
Residents noted that the temple tank was a main source of groundwater recharge for the neighbouring 20 streets such as Pattachari Street, Kulakarai Street and P.E. Koil Main Street.
V. Bhaskar, president of Ayanavaram Exnora, said while the other temple tank — which belonged to Kasi Viswanatha temple — remained dry, this was the only waterbody at Ayanavaram that had not gone dry in many years.
Ward 97 councillor V. Vasu, who has been actively involved in cleaning up the tank, said: “The tank still has 17 feet of water and is a major reason for groundwater availability at 30 -40 feet. After many representations, HR and CE Department joined the initiative. It will take another week to clean the tank,” he said.
Solutions suggested
Meanwhile, environmentalists note that measures to prevent the growth of duckweed must be taken for pond remediation. Environmentalist Sultan Ahmed Ismail said fish species like grass carp and koi carp could be bred as they feed on duckweed. Ducks too could be used for the purpose, as they feed on the vegetation.
However, the permanent solution would be to treat the water that entered the tank through the stormwater drain network. “Such drains often carry domestic sewage and this leads to growth of duckweed and produce a smell. Simple methods like Canna plant bed can be used to filter the water,” he said.
