Locals demand restoration of Pandya-era Madakulam Kanmoi
MADURAI: The Madakulam Kanmoi in Madurai, one of the oldest tanks constructed by the Pandya kings, is witnessing good water flow this year leading to pleas to restore the waterbody to its glorious past.
Locals demand that the kanmoi, which serves as a major source of drinking water supply to the city of Madurai and agriculture, needs an urgent restoration.
A 65-year-old resident from West Street, M Vairamani, said that he is seeing the kanmoi filled with so much water for the first time in his life. This tank which was desilted three years ago under the MLA constituency fund at a cost of Rs 10 lakh needs to be desilted at regular intervals, locals point out. Madurai would never face water shortage once this tank holds storage to its fullest capacity, Vairamani said. He also urged the authorities to weed out ‘Seemai Karuvelam’ (prosopis juliflora) trees along the bund and beautify the tank.
The waterbody is spread over 365 acres in Madakulam, which was once the seat of power, said P Rajaboopathi, a localite. A large section of peasants prospered based on the water supply from the tank. This historic water body feeds 3,600 acres of ayacut in parts of the district. But the agricultural land has shrunk of late.
A 67-year-old man Pal Pillai said agriculture thrived in those days and had three seasons of cultivation, relying on the Madakulam kanmoi’s water. Apart from paddy, sugarcane, banana and betel leave plantations were also taken up by farmers in the past, he said. Of late large tracts farmlands were converted into buildings and agriculture is steadily declining in the locality, he added.
Locals were enthused when former CM J Jayalalithaa announced that a statue of ‘Tamizh Thai’ would be erected in Madakulam to cherish the ancient tradition. But the move didn’t take off.
Official sources told DT Next that a proposal for strengthening and developing Madakulam kanmoi, at an estimated cost of Rs 23 crore, was forwarded to the state government a year ago but funds are yet to be sanctioned. The project was designed to desilt the kanmoi, which has a storage capacity of 167 mcft. Bunds along the kanmoi need to be widened to pave way for a hassle free movement of two-wheelers on both directions, locals appealed.
During summer this year, Madakulam kanmoi was the only water body in Madurai holding water, which crossed half of its capacity. The water source which caters to the needs of around 5-lakh people in Madurai is expected to continue to support the city as water storage is expected to stay till the next monsoon.