The Andhra Pradesh wildlife management authorities are all set to introduce speed boating in the heart of the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) in the Godavari estuary. The sanctuary is barely 10 km away from the city of Kakinada.
Until now, only two mechanised boat services were available between the sanctuary and Hope Island in the Bay of Bengal.
A trial run has been completed for speed boating in the sanctuary, including the mangrove cover by passing through the Coringa, a branch of the Godavari river, at its confluence point into the Bay of Bengal.
“The route map to run the boat over 2 km of waterway from the sanctuary to the entry of the sea has been approved. We are waiting for the approval from the Department of Tourism to run the speed boat as per the State government’s recent guidelines on the tourism boat services,” CWS Forest Range Officer S.S.R. Vara Prasad said.
The maximum speed of the seven-seater (including driver) boat service would be below 40 kmph, enabling tourists to explore the serene beauty of the Godavari mangroves and the sanctuary’s wildlife. Sightings of Indian smooth-coated otters is common on boat rides; fishing cats are much rarer.
The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department in collaboration with Eco-Development Committees will run the adventure tourism services in the sanctuary. The EDC comprises people from local communities. “A total of 50% profit to be earned from tourism activities in the sanctuary will be offered to the EDCs and the rest will be spent on the development of the sanctuary and creation of more facilities,” Mr. Vara Prasad told The Hindu.
The sanctuary authorities will also use the speed boat for patrolling the sanctuary and the Bay of Bengal coastline to keep an eye out for illegal activities.
