Kochi/Kozhikode: Kerala is the first port of call for the monsoons in India and no wonder the state, named by National Geographic’s Traveller magazine as one of the 10 paradises on Earth, catches the fancy of holidayers who look forward to watching the sun peep through the wet palmfronds and rain-drenched green.
However, there are a few breathtaking sites which are also “death traps” that the tourists should be warned about to avoid anything even remotely similar to what happened on the banks of the Beas last Sunday. 24 engineering students were caught off-guard and swept away when the floodgates of the Larji Dam project in Himachal Pradesh were opened without any warning.
Whether it’s Paniyeli Poru, Bhootatankettu, Ezhattumukham in Ernakulam district or Kallar, Meenmutti in Thiruvananthapuram or Soochippara waterfalls and Kuruva islands in Wayanad, danger lurks beneath the splendid beauty of nature.
Consider this – close to 100 people have lost their lives in the riverside tourist spots of the Perumbavoor-Neriyamangalam-Tattekad region in the past two decades, often the deaths occur when the victims lose their grip on slippery rocks or get caught in the dangerous creeks along shallow waters.
Earlier in March this year, two college students from Kochi drowned in the Periyar river at Paniyeli Poru. Here the river has clusters of slippery rocks and undercurrents even though the water is only a few feet deep.
The tragedy even forced the Forest Department to temporarily close down the tourist spot. It was reopened only after installing 20-odd warning boards though the other directions of the department like increasing the strength of lifeguards or banning entry for those who have consumed alcohol are yet to be adhered to.
“It’s a dangerous spot especially during the monsoons. Even if the floodgates of the dams are opened only after warnings, the threat of a cloudburst persists. Often the tourists would be tempted to step into the water unaware of the creeks and strong undercurrent even in summers,” said T N Jayashankar, ex-secretary, Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council.
The Malabar region, which is blessed with immense natural beauty and physical diversity too has witnessed a spate of mishaps in recent years. Two people drowned in separate incidents last year after slipping and falling into the waterfalls of Aripara, a tourist spot near Thiruvambadi.
A year earlier, two brothers drowned in Kabani river at Pannikkalkadavu near the entrance to Kuruva Islands. They were part of a 16-member team and were taking a bath in the river. The younger one, Sreejesh, was swept away by a strong undercurrent. His brother tried to save him, but also drowned.
Also in 2011, two students of the St Mary’s Higher secondary school drowned while taking a bath in Mullankolli river near the Kuruva Island. Two youths had also drowned in Mullankolli river earlier in March that year.
“Tourists, particularly youngsters, take unnecessary risks by getting too close to the water body, be it a lake, river or sea, they are enthusiastic about clicking photographs on cliffs, and hill slopes or rocks popping out in the middle of the waterbodies. No amount of warning by the police or lifeguards helps, and in their exuberance, think such tragedies happen only to someone else. Such scenes are particularly seen during monsoons, which is also the most dangerous time in the mountains,” said Ninan John, Director (Operations), Kochi-based Guiders Academy.
Meanwhile, the tourism department has directed the district councils to deploy only expert guides and increase their strength so as to avoid any mishap during the monsoon season.
“The problem areas may vary from each of the riverside or hill tourist spots. Only an expert guide would know the danger spots and what precautions should be taken. Also the tourists should ask for Identity cards of the guide and confirm that he/she is authorized before employing them during visits,” said M Reghudasan, Director-In –Charge, Department of Tourism.
