VELLORE: The corporation on Wednesday installed a specially-designed submersible motor pump worth Rs 1.9 lakh on the southwest corner of the Vellore Fort parameter to prevent flooding inside the Sri Jalakandeswarar Temple. This comes in the wake of the northeast monsoon.
This is a precautionary measure to avoid last year's monsoon mayhem when the water level in the moat around the fort, rose above the temple's outlet. The temple premises saw knee-deep waterlogging, forcing its closure for devotees and the public for a few days. Officials then pumped out the water from the premises, but the process consumed a lot of time and power.
Assuming we receive heavy rains like last year and the water level rises in the moat, we need not worry about flooding inside the temple, P Ashok Kumar, Vellore City Municipal Corporation (VCMC) commissioner said. "This submersible motor can discharge 1.25 lakh litres an hour. If we operate the motor for 12 hours a day, the water level in the moat can go down by one foot (approximately). Even if sludge gets stuck inside the motor, it can suck them out without suffering blocks."
A trial run was carried out recently and, on Tuesday, a successful test run was held by operating the motor for an hour, the commissioner added. The temple fort is preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).