High Court-appointed Committee inspects three ponds in Tiruvannamalai after pleas to restore them

Restoration of three ponds in Tiruvannamalai town to increase groundwater levels faces challenges due to encroachments.

Three ponds in Tiruvannamalai town will soon be restored as the Special Committee, appointed by the Madras High Court, inspected the waterbodies.

The Committee, headed by P. Mathusuthanan, Principal District and Sessions Judge, Tiruvannamalai District Court, was formed after petitions filed by Srinivasa Temple Waterbodies Restoration Trust, a local non-profit organisation, sought rejuvenation of these ponds by the district administration to help increase groundwater levels in the town.

Along with the members of the trust and a team of revenue officials led by Collector D. Bhaskara Pandian and M. Priyadharshini, District Revenue Officer (DRO) Mr. Mathusuthanan visited the sites to take stock of the present condition of the waterbodies, including total area coverage and water level.

He also checked the extent of the demolition drive done by the authorities. “Encroachments, mostly houses, occupy most of the space of these ponds. Demolition of the encroachments remains a key challenge in the restoration of the waterbodies as it involves alternative arrangements for displaced families,” said S. Thyagarajan, Tasildar (Tiruvannamalai taluk).

Revenue officials said that the total area coverage of these three ponds— Vediappan pond, Pillai pond, and Paruvatharajakulam— maintained by Tiruvannamalai municipality are 3.01 acres, 1.02 acres and 4.14 acres, respectively. Over the years, they were encroached upon by illegal construction of houses.

At present, three ponds occupy only a small portion of the total area. Many illegal constructions on the occupied area of these ponds have household electricity connections, street lights, and water taps.

In mid-2019, the then Collector K. S. Kandasamy initiated steps to rejuvenate small waterbodies, especially ponds and lakes, under the Kudimaramathu scheme to increase groundwater level in the district. The ponds were among the 40 waterbodies, including irrigation tanks, that were planned under the scheme.