Bhubaneswar, April 14: The Kedar-Gouri tank, which attracts people from far and wide because they believe in its medicinal properties, is crying for its survival.

The water has turned blue with the seepage of pollutants from nearby drains, but the state government is yet to take notice of its condition.

Located inside the Kedar-Gouri temple in the Old Town, the complex has three sacred ponds - Kedar Kund, Gouri Kund and Dugdha Kund.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiv and his consort, Gouri. It is one among the eight Astasambhu temples in Bhubaneswar. There are several legends associated with the construction of this ninth-century shrine.

Botany researcher and environmentalist Bijoy Mishra said: "It is essentially a matter of belief that science cannot explain."

Mishra, however, said: "There are a number of underground streams passing through the Old Town touching roots of various medicinal trees in these areas. This way the water of many tanks in Old Town area is believed to have medicinal values. But such claims have not been medically established."

Senior zoology lecturer Jiban Kumar Dutta said: "In a particular area, the soil comprises many elements, including iron. If the underground water passes through different trees such as kochila, neem and bael, it might carry medicinal values. However, all these claims are yet to be proved scientifically. In such cases, belief plays a big role. Therefore, one should not read much into it."

Former state archaeologist Bijay Kumar Rath said: "People from various parts of the country use the water to treat certain ailments. Tourists from Bengal take the water from the tanks to cure acidity. It is said that water in the two of these tanks - Kedar and Gouri - comes in contact with the roots of kochila trees (Strychnos nux-vomica) and acquires medicinal properties."

Bhubaneswar entrepreneur Subrat Das recalled how his grandfather believed that drinking water of Kedar-Gouri tank everyday took care of his gastric problems.

Now, the water of the three tanks is badly polluted. Eighty-three-year old Mangovinda Mahasupkar said: "It is sad to see that the water of these ponds is not worth using any more because drain water is mixing with the sacred water."

He said that apart from rainwater and drains polluting it, a variety of medicinal herbs that grew in these tanks are also in danger of dying.

The servitors of the temple alleged that the problem has cropped with the Bhubaneswar Development Authority failing to stop encroachment of drains by people building their houses.

"Contamination of drinking water sources by sewage has occurred from raw sewage overflow, septic tanks and leaking sewer lines. But no steps have been taken to check this," said another servitor.

Tourism and culture minister Ashok Panda, who happens to be the MLA from this area, said: "We are very concerned about the deterioration of the water quality of the ponds. Only two days ago, we floated a tender of Rs 1 crore for renovation of the three tanks and development of the periphery areas."

Old Town has a number of tanks that have medicinal properties. Close to the Kedar-Gouri temple, another pond called Marichi Kund is said to have sacred powers. There is a belief that water from Marichi Kund cure infertility. Each year, the day before Ashokastami in April, its water is auctioned to the public.

Last night, the auction was held in presence of the district administration officials. A pot of water was auctioned for Rs 12,500. However, on any particular day, one can get the water of the pond by paying Rs 1,100 to the temple administration.

There are around 17 beautiful tanks, including Godavari, Ganga-Yamuna, Kotitirtheswar, Gosagareswar and Brahmeswar in Old Town. They have religious significance and many of them also possess medicinal properties. The largest among these tanks is Bindu Sagar, which is being revived.