The quaint villages that lie on the shores of the three major rivers in Kottayam are all set to become an exciting hub of activity with the opening of a new circuit comprising inland water routes.
Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas will inaugurate the circuit, which will connect the Meenachil-Meenanthara-Kodoor rivers and its adjoining canals, here on February 22, Thursday. A watercraft manufacturing unit for various water tourism and sports boats too will be opened on the occasion.
V.N. Vasavan, Minister for Cooperation and Ports, will inaugurate the sale of sports-tourism boats by the unit.
Aim
The circuit, to be implemented by Meenachil-Meenanthara-Koddor river re-linking programme, aims to boost water tourism in the region and promote activities centred around village life.
Daily sports-tourism boat rides will commence from Kodimatha, navigating through the waterways to Vettikkatt in Thiruvarppu and Pathupank in Kumarakom. Water sports centres will be established in these locations to further enhance the tourist experience.
“The tourism circuit, which will be extended across a vast area from the Pazhukkanila backwaters to the Manarcad church, will promote tourism based on water, farming, and village life. Visitors will be offered sailing on canoes of different types through the inland water routes that run across the region, besides backwater cruises,’’ says K. Anil Kumar, convener of the river linking initiative.
Revitalising waterbodies
The initiative, according to him, forms a critical part of the ongoing river integration project and will help in conserving and revitalising the waterbodies. “The project also involves plans for water sports activities including water scooter rides at Meenachil river in Thazhathangadi during special seasons,” he added.
The move to establish the circuit draws inspiration from the success of Malarikkal, a locally-owned tourism centre in the region.
The inland waterways in Kottayam lost its significance with the expansion of the road networks and they fell into an even sorrier state over the last couple of decades with the canals silting up and even levelled. The river re-linking project, through works taken up in different phases, restored a major extend of this network through a people-government collaborative action.
