Shop owners struggle to keep hygiene

Alappuzha: The flood waters that entered Kainakary not only damaged the buildings and houses, but also destroyed their hygiene. The worst -affected are small shop owners who run restaurants and other businesses aimed at the tourists on the banks of Pampa river and pocket lagoons.

The young generation in Kainakary has invested in shops to attract tourists who enjoy the Kuttanadan dishes. But the tourists do not compromise on hygiene and it has become a huge task to maintain cleanliness now.

The shop owners say they had washed up the shops several times, yet the stink left by the floodwater remains.

S. Sunil, Devaswomchira, Kainakary panchayat, who runs a restaurant at Kuppapuram, said that he cleaned his shop attached to his house seven times but there was foul smell still.

 He is worried whether the tourists would care to visit his restaurant that is his only means of livelihood.Sunil started the shop a decade ago pawning all his assets and earned a reputation as a preferred host.

 "I have lost everything, including TV set, fridge and furniture. I cleaned the house immediately after the water receded. However, the rooms are damp," he said and added that he needed at least Rs 20,000 to start anew.

The shop owners had hoped for a boom in tourism in the upcoming months, but maintaining hygiene is a mountainous task.

"Most have taken bank loans. For the last several weeks, there has been no business and no tourists. Repaying the loans is in uncertainty," said Vineesh, another shop owner at Punchiri jetty. "We hope tourism will come alive soon. But the floodwater has left the shops in bad shape which need repair and cleanliness. The flood has left us penniless and our business will suffer for long," he said.

Most shops are attached to houses. It's a double challenge to keep both the house and the shop hygienic. Otherwise, guests will not return, he added.