Better lake than never! A vow to save Pondy waterbodies

PUDUCHERRY: As the temperature sizzled at 39.8°C across Puducherry, and deadpan ponds with murky water shimmered in the midday heat, disquiet was palpable in the air. The scorching sun screamed down parched fields mercilessly. Environmentalists associated with PondyCAN in the union territory expressed concern over the dire situation of waterbodies drying up post-haste. They took a vow to save them after scouting all across Puducherry.

Under the aegis of the Alliance for Good Governance (AGG), a battery of 12 civil society organisations, including PondyCAN, joined forces to revive waterbodies. Of the string of over 600 ponds that quenched the thirst during the reign of the Cholas, a thousand years ago, only 420 or so remain in Puducherry. Today, most of the waterbodies in Puducherry are getting restored, thanks to AGG’s efforts.
The system of ‘Kudimaramathu’ – in vogue during the Chola era – helped local communities preserve waterbodies through revenue generated from the rearing of fish and the like. They devised a range of strategies, including long-term planning, desilting works, strengthening bunds, and planting trees to maintain the water bodies.

Later, the French government entered the scene and institutionalised the ‘Kudimaramathu,’ renaming it to ‘Syndicate Agricole’ and ‘Caise Commune.’ Budgets, every year, were prepared for the maintenance of ponds and big tanks.

On November 1, 1954, Puducherry was liberated from French rule. Eight years later, the colonial settlement now abounded with Instagrammable streets and idyllic monuments, was formally merged with the Indian Union, following which the administration of waterbodies, once again, changed hands to rest on the shoulders of the public works department (PWD) of the newly formed union territory.

Over the years, however, the system failed, as the officials recruited were relatively inexperienced or the work was contracted out. Fund shortage worsened the plight, rues Probir Banerjee of PondyCAN. Between 1999 and 2008, as many as 83 tanks were restored through the Tank Rehabilitation Project of Pondicherry, which was aided by the European Union. An association of tank users formed in the times bygone has become non-functional, and the tanks fell into a state of neglect.

Well, the wells are almost empty and the ponds are now ridden with garbage, Banerjee laments. Encroachments added fuel to the fire as the groundwater level depleted and the water turned saline. Individual efforts to protect the dying ponds gradually swarmed into a movement as the waterbodies regained their lost charm.

The non-profit organisations under AGG have revived 47 ponds and cleaned up another seven this year. They have created a new tank at Mullodai. “The plan is to restore as many waterbodies as possible and create awareness so that it becomes a community project. Recreational spots need to be created so that the waterbodies turn out to be of public interest,” says Banerjee.

Akin to PondyCAN, Kulangal Kappom and ‘Waters of Pondicherry’, too, set out to save the ponds. During their formative years, they were met with a deep crisis: we really wanted to save waterbodies, but we could not, however, spot one, recalls Dinesh Krishnamoorthy of the NGO.

“Where are all the waterbodies? We had then asked ourselves, prompting us to chalk out a plan to map the network of waterbodies in Puducherry. We posted the list on our official website for future reference,” Dinesh adds.And when the going gets tough, the tough get going. In 2020, the AGG faced its darnedest challenge: save Vannan Kulam, the biggest urban pond, located at Marapalam, which is now reeking of garbage and devastation.