Kerala's Responsible Tourism to save dying lake

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “The most fascinating waterworld on earth”, is how the ads describe the state’s backwaters. But these publicity materials mask the plastic rot and bio-waste, and the attendant stench, that are snuffing the life out of these water stretches that official copywriters had ironically called the “road to peace”. The State’s Responsible Tourism initiative, by mobilizing the support of everyone involved in tourism locally, is now trying to make up for the lie. As a first step, one of the dirtiest stretches of Vembanad Lake, which courses through the backyards of Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts, was purged of garbage. 

The next stop is the polluted Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam, considered the gateway to the backwaters in the state. Thus, from being an initiative to create more local tourism jobs, Responsible Tourism has suddenly expanded its mandate to cover the preservation of environment. Finance minister Dr Thomas Isaac marveled at the Clean Vembanad initiative. “I had attempted to do the same thing thrice, and failed,” he said. The minister attributed the success of the initiative to the involvement of all stakeholders. Tourism principal secretary Dr V Venu is elated because the Responsible Tourism movement had triggered a local environment initiative. “This was not a strategy imposed from above, it happened organically at the local level. And it has to be that way because this is what responsible tourism is all about,” Dr Venu said.

Rupesh Kumar K, the state Responsible Tourism coordinator, said that it was important that the stakeholders were brought on board. “We convinced houseboat owners, and also motor boat and ‘shikhara’ operators, that their operations were hurting the lake. Though they argued that tourism alone was not responsible for polluting the lake, they acknowledged that their future depended on the health of the wetland,” Mr Kumar said. The Alappuzha Municipality, too, pitched in.

The formation of Vembanad Kayal Samyukta Samrakshana Samithi was therefore a smooth affair. Tomy Pulikkattil, a top houseboat owner, was made the chairman of the Samithi. The '5 lakh required for the cleaning was mobilized by the Samithi; even resort owners contributed.  Besides extending the cleaning drive, the Samithi (now re-christened as Vembanad Tourism Protection Council) will employ local units to manufacture paper and cloth bags to replace plastic. Dr Venu said other destinations could view Vembanad as a model.