Kochi: There was a time when the fastest route to the hill shrine of Malayattoor was through the Periyar River. Pilgrims on large houseboats from Varappuzha and surrounding areas used to halt at the sandbar in the middle of the river near Aluva. The Parunthuranji islet used to be a pit stop for exhausted boatmen.
Then another category of boatmen started frequenting the 60-acre islet. When they returned, they took a piece of the sandbar along with them. The sand smugglers rowed their boats to the islet under the cover of darkness and made away with loads of precious sand. Gradually, the island dwindled in size.
The brazen sand theft from the river created deadly pits in the Periyar River. Many lives were lost in those man-made depths.
The flash flood in August, however, left behind a surprise. The furious river recreated the sandy island in all its glory. Similar sandbanks have been created along the river at Kothamangalam, Kalady and Perumbavoor. The deposits are worth crores of rupees but they are not meant for men to mine for profit. They are the lifeline of the river. Steal it at your own risk.
Thieves on the prowl
Disturbingly, the sand smugglers have already started their operations. They are eyeing the loads of fine sand deposited on various parts of the river banks. The sandbanks near Aluva, Neriamangalam, Injathotti, Thattekkad, Kuttampuzha and Palamattam areas have become sitting ducks for the miscreants. Tons of sand have been deposited at Anakkayam near Kuttampuzha where the Idamalayar and Pooyamkutti rivers merge.
Sands on the banks close to private holdings are already being stolen away. The smugglers go to the river banks on large lorries and steal the invaluable natural resource.
The people in the area are worried about the resumption of sand mining. Initially they were relieved to see the dangerous pits filled up with the sand. The mindless sand mining had turned the river into a death trap for many people. If the sand smugglers are not reined in the river will turn dangerous once again. It is high time the authorities acted to save the river. It is not often that we get a second chance.
Synthetic track on the river
A 600-metre sandbank has developed near the Sreebhoothapuram ghat in the Kalady area. The sandbank stretches all the way to Ambalappad and Paliyam, like a synthetic track.
Old-timers at Sreeboothapuram would tell you that a longer sandbank had existed in the area. There was a tea shop near the ghat and a small shop on the beach, they would say.
The river has brought back the sandbank of the olden days. The flood has also led to the formation of a beach at Parappuram in the Kanjoor panchayat. The beach is spread over five acre near the Mangalath ghat. You have to walk for about half a kilometre along the Narasimha Temple at Thiruvalanchuzhi to see the new formation.
Across the river stands the famous Sree Krishna Temple at Chelamattom. The Periyar River changes course to the east at this point. Sandbanks have appeared all along the area. Neeliswaram, Moodikadavu and Mekkalady areas have new river beaches after the flood.
Added attractions
The tourist magnet of Paniyeli Poru just got a new attraction. A beautiful sand beach has added to the scenic charms of the destination on the Periyar River. The floodwater had left the area all muddy and sticky but the cleanup gradually revealed the formation of the sandbar.
A similar sandbank has been formed at Nedumbara near Kodanad. The sandbar is formed in the middle of the river, just a few metres away from the shore. The sandbank at Cheranalloor, which used to be the venue of a tourism festival, just got bigger.
Many sandbanks have come up on the stretch between Bhoothathankettu to Neriamangalam. The largest among them is a kilometre-long island under the Neriamangalam bridge.
Ecotourism potential
The new beaches are great for tourists, and the tourism department did not have to spend a single paisa for it. The Parunthuranji island is a stone's throw away from the Aluva YMCA camp centre at Thottumukham. The place that had been abandoned to straying cattle just turned a crowd-puller after the flood.
The department had formed an ecotourism plan of Rs 70 lakh for the area seven years ago. The project was dropped after spending half the amount. The flood has taken away whatever little construction was made then. In its place, we have a beautiful beach on the river.
The sandbar below the Neriamangalam bridge is also drawing in hordes of travellers. Many people come to spent the morning and evenings on the beach. Children frolic on the beach while the elders gossip among themselves. Rivers are no longer scary.