The foothills of Sabarimala are in the grip of an acute water scarcity, despite the summer showers in the nearby forest areas during the past two weeks.
The low water level in the Pampa river in the foothills of Sabarimala is posing difficulty to pilgrims for undertaking their customary holy dip, Pampa Snanom, before undertaking the trek to the holy hillock.
Check-dam
The temporary check-dam constructed using sand bags in the downstream of Arattu-kadavu is of little use owing to the drastic depletion of water level in the Pampa.
Though the Water Resources Department has given a letter to the District Collector seeking necessary measures for release of water from the Kullar dam of the Kerala State Electricity Board into the Pampa, the situation continues to be grim at Pampa even after the opening of the Ayyappa temple on Tuesday afternoon.
The State’s second largest tribal settlement at Attathode, situated on the banks of the Pampa, in the downstream reaches of the Pampa bathing ghats also is in the grip of an acute water scarcity.