For those driving into the city through the MC Road, a large waterbody on the right side of the road at Mannanthala used to provide a perfect welcome. The Vayambachira pond, filled to the brim with a clear sheet of water, was active through the day with children and grown ups frequenting it for a relaxing swim.
Now, the pond is a pale shadow of its former self, with mud piling up and weeds taking over.
A few months back, the pond was drained to start the renovation planned by the Corporation. The work is now progressing at a slow pace.
“In the earlier days, the pond was used for agricultural purposes. During the scorching summers, the paddy fields in this entire area were irrigated from here. So, by the end of summer, it used to dry up a bit and was soon replenished by the monsoons. It was also a bathing ghat till recently. Even people from far used to come here for swimming during weekends,” says Mohanakumaran Nair, whose house is beside the pond.
The pond, spread over 1.55 acres, was under the Ulloor panchayat until the local body’s merger with the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in 2000. In addition to the natural replenishment of ground water, a small stream from nearby flows into it. But with houses coming up in recent decades, this stream has been reduced to a source for waste water.
“For the past few years, silting had made this a dangerous place to swim. Though the water level has come down, a few people have drowned here, including a youth, recently,” says Rajan, a local person.
As part of the renovation planned by the Corporation, the pond will be desilted to increase its storage and a boundary wall will be constructed to prevent encroachment.
A pathway will also be built around the pond. The waste water stream will be diverted to a drain nearby.
Right now, only a part of the boundary wall work has been completed and desilting is yet to start. Residents say that there has been an undue delay in renovation.
“It is a Rs.1-crore project and we have completed work of around Rs.15 lakh. The work has been progressing at a steady pace, though there has been a slight delay due to the rain. It is expected to be completed by March 2015,” says Mannanthala ward councillor Vanaja Rajendrababu.
