VELLORE: Hundreds of fish were found dead in a tank attached to the Vallimalai Murugan temple on Sunday. While the cause of death is being probed, temple officials said that steps were being taken to clean the tank. The 200 feet by 200 feet tank was de-silted in 1998 during Brahmotsavam festival. Now maintained by the HR&CE, it attracts thousands of devotees annually and during the Theppostavam, Aadi krithigai and the car festival.
The annual car festival concluded on March 4. Thousands had taken a dip at the pond then. Food waste dumped on the steps also contaminated the water.A senior retired official of the department of fisheries however opined that dying of fish is very common during the onset of summer. When a large school of fish shared the water body, suffocation could cause sudden death. Certain varieties of fish cannot withstand sudden drop in oxygen levels or contamination, he added. Before the onset of summer, tanks should be filled with fresh water, he said.
Mahesh said that the ancient temple tanks have been designed based on the geo-astrological conditions and the water was revered by the devotees. Theerthavari festivals being conducted in temples had the significance that the almighty visited the water bodies to cleanse it. The tanks are symbols of faith and hence should be properly maintained.The Vellore unit of the Hindu Munnani urged the government to protect all temple tanks in the district by implementing regular maintenance.
Reacting to the sudden death of the fish, G Mahesh, the district organiser, said that all temple tanks should be de-silted and cleaned. They must be protected from drainage water and other sources of garbage. He also added that all the tanks and temples must be freed from all kinds of encroachments.While the dead fishes were removed from the tank on Tuesday, temple authorities have decided to put up a grill fence around the tank to restrict devotees entering the water.