Work on cleaning and desilting of holy Ramar Theertham (tank) here was launched here today as part of the programme to make the pilgrim town a 'green island'.
The Ramar Theertham is one of the 44 important holy water sites located outside the Sri Ramanathaswamy temple here.
Pilgrims thronging the temple from across the country take a dip in all the holy water sites, including 22 inside the shrine, each of which have special significance as per legend.
Eminent scientist Shivathanu Pillai, one of the pillars of Brahmos missile project, joined Ramanathapuram District Collector Nandhakumar and Vivekananda Kendra in launching the clean up work, supported by Rotary Club and taken up with participation of volunteers from educational institutes also.
Executive Officer of Ramanathaswamy Temple C Selvaraj said all the 44 theerthams would be removed of encroachments, cleaned and desilted in a phased manner and fenced.
Pillai said satellite pictures of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) could be used to have a better look of the sites of the theerthams.
He said all the holy water sites, including wells and tanks, should be cleaned, and their details such as legend displayed through a notice board.
Nandhakumar said Rameswaram would become a green and model town in the next two years.
