JAGTIAL: With untreated sewage and drainage water being dumped into the Godavari river in Dharmapuri, residents and tourists are complaining that has led to a foul smell enveloping the temple town. They demanded that a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) be built to ensure that no polluted water enters the river.
A devotee, Narsaiah from Nizamabad, alleged that bathing ghats and the surrounding areas of the Godavari river are covered with a foul smell. “Families seeking purity in the water for their holy dip are faced with a dilemma,” he added.
With the Sri Laxmi Narasimha Swamy Brahmotsavams scheduled from March 20, the influx of devotees has already begun. However, the proposal for an STP to purify the drainage water before it merges into the Godavari rivers seems like a distant dream for the devotees and residents of the town.
A local, Raju, mentioned that they have already stopped taking holy dips in the Godavari river due to the extent of the water pollution.
During the previous government’s tenure, proposals were sent for the construction of a treatment plant with an estimated cost of `2 crore, but it never came to fruition. Current MLA and Government Whip Adluri Laxman Kumar blames the BRS for neglecting the development of the temple and the purification of the Godavari river. He specifically blamed Koppula Eshwar, who served as a minister for two terms from Dharmapuri under the BRS’ tenure.
Laxman Kumar asserts that he will bring this issue to the attention of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to secure special funds for the construction of an STP. He said the plant needs to be built soon to prevent the merging of drainage water into the Godavari river.
1 lakh devotees expected to attend Brahmotsavams
Brahmotsavams (annual fete) of Sri Laxminarasimha Swamy are scheduled to be held from March 20 to April 1. Devotees from Telangana, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh are expected to attend, with temple authorities anticipating a footfall of about one lakh. Preparations are ongoing at the temple and also along the Godavari river for the occasion.
