Tourists continue to trespass into Kalhatti falls

Forest department likely shut out the area to tourists

An injured tourist being rescued from the Kalhatti falls by fire and rescue service and police personnel.

Despite being strictly off-limits to the public, the Kalhatti waterfalls still manages to attract tourists to its perilous waters, causing sleepless nights to the forest department, police as well as to fire and rescue services.

A few days ago, N. Naresh (27), from Andhra Pradesh, working in Mysuru, had come with three other friends to the Nilgiris. The four men had illegally trespassed into the Kalhatti waterfalls and decided to bathe in the water. It is believed that Naresh dived from a small cliff and into the water below, shattering his knee in the process. His three friends, who were unable to rescue Naresh, quickly went for help and alerted fire and rescue service personnel. With the assistance of the police, Naresh was safely rescued from the water and taken to a local hospital where he was treated and discharged. The incident has served to highlight the dangers tourists face while visiting the location.

Tourists had been allowed to visit the location until a few years ago, but the place has since been made off-limits due to the inherent dangers.

G Janardhanan, President of the Ooty Public Awareness Trust, said that there needed to be more caution boards placed which makes it explicitly clear of the number of people who have died or suffered injuries while bathing in the falls to deter tourists from entering the place. He also said that the forest department and local police needed to maintain a vigil and to stop curious tourists from entering.

The waterfalls have also become a popular drinking spot for many tourists who have begun dumping large amounts of plastic waste in the water and surrounding river beds. As a number of aquatic wildlife have been spotted in the area, Mr. Janardhanan said that it was important that tourists and their waste was prevented from entering the waters at the Kalhatti waterfall.

District Forest Officer (Nilgiris North Division), S. Kalanidhi, said that the forest department was considering taking steps to ensure that the area remains shut out to tourists.