With the Pampa shrinking by the day after weeks of below-normal rainfall, concerns are mounting over the smooth conduct of the centuries-old vallasadya at the Aranmula Sree Parthasarathy Temple. The receding river has left several stretches of the Pampa too shallow for the iconic palliyodams (snake boats) to navigate. The Palliyoda Seva Sanghom (PSS), the apex body representing the 52 snake boats, now fears that unless the river is replenished soon, this year’s vallasadya season and the Uthrittathi water festival could be affected.

With the falling water levels, oarsmen are now being forced to halt their boats midway, wade through knee-deep water and drag the vessels across shallow stretches. There are also concerns that the repeated scraping of the boats against the sandy riverbed could damage their wooden hulls. “Water level is relatively satisfactory up to the Anjilimoodu bridge, but beyond that the palliyodams have to be dragged through the riverbed. The situation will improve only if the region receives some showers in the coming days,” a PSS office-bearer said.

Should the dry spell continue, the river is expected to recede further, casting a shadow over the Uthrittathi water festival scheduled on August 30. Sandbars have become an annual hurdle for the palliyodams despite repeated desilting drives undertaken at the cost of several lakh rupees. Large deposits of silt and sand continue to choke key stretches of the river, including Nikshepamali, Ambalakkadavu and Sathrakkadavu, making navigation increasingly difficult. The Irrigation department has identified the worst-affected stretches, where desilting operations are now under way. The PSS, however, believes the exercise will offer only limited relief in the absence of substantial rainfall.

Adding to their concerns, the usual recourse of releasing water from the Maniyar dam under the Pampa Irrigation Project to augment the water flow is unavailable this year, as the reservoir has been emptied for repair works. Storage in the Moozhiyar dam too remains low as the hydel station has not been operating at full capacity, while inflows from the principal tributaries of the river such as the Azhutha, Kakkattar and Kallar have also dwindled. “Release of water from the reservoirs to facilitate the race is not going to work out this time, as storage levels in all the major dams are well below the required levels,” said an official with the district administration