Residents of Ward 27 in Salem Corporation are demanding measures to prevent sewage from entering the Sathram Teppakulam (tank) and repair the damaged sidewalls.

The Sathram tank, a popular spot in Salem city, is a major water source for the residents of the locality, and people used to drink its water. Now, however, sewage leaks into the tank from a channel passing by it owing to soil erosion, according to the residents.

Head of the BJP’s environmental protection cell R.P. Gopinath said that apart from the temple pond at the Sugavaneswarar temple, Sathram tank was the only waterbody in a residential area in Salem Corporation and is also home to many species of fish and tortoises.

Before the Salem Corporation began taking drinking water from Panamarathupatti Lake, Sathram tank served as a source of drinking water for the residents. The Corporation, as such, should protect one of the oldest tanks in Salem, he said.

R. Srinivasan, a resident of Ward 27, said sewage began entering the tank due to soil erosion, and the contamiantion worsened over the past few weeks. The sidewall of the tank, too, was damaged, and one part of it collapsed recently, he added.

Offcials from the Sooramangalam zone of the corporation said works would start on Monday to prevent soil erosion, and the sidewall of the tank would be reconstructed.