Alappuzha: Tourism Minister P A Mohammed Riyas has directed the district administration of Alappuzha to take immediate measures to resolve a sewage disposal issue linked to the houseboat industry, which is the highlight of Kerala's backwater tourism.
Starting from October 18, barges will be deployed in Alappuzha and Kumarakom to collect sewage directly from houseboats and dispose of the same at the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) facility in Kumarakom.
The temporary arrangement will be in place till the STP facility being constructed by the Kainakary Panchayat in Alappuzha becomes operational.
“The minister conveyed the same during talks held with representatives of various houseboat operators’ associations in the state capital on Thursday,” said Jobin J Akkarakalam, Vice President of Kerala Houseboat Owners Federation.
The ground reality
As per norms, the annual license of houseboats can only be renewed if septage from the vessels is emptied every three months.
However, with at least three STPs – at Kumarakom, H Block (Kunnumma), and Vattakayal -- non-operational and in the absence of alternate arrangements, the operators were put in a spot. On top of that, the Pollution Control Board (PCB) began levying hefty penalties on houseboat operators and cancelled licenses. This forced a section of houseboat operators to announce a protest for October 16.
Cultural Minister Saji Cherian directed District Collector Haritha V Kumar to examine if it was possible to collect sewage from houseboats in tanker lorries and dispose them of at the plant at Infopark in Pallippuram near Cherthala.
“Also, during the meeting, the PCB authorities assured that they will consider avoiding the issuance of a fine, around Rs 70,000 for a single boat found violating the norms, if alternative measures for sewage disposal are initiated and implemented at the earliest,” said Vinod V, President of All Kerala House Boat Owners Association.
