They boarded a houseboat from Kumarakom around 11 a.m. on January 23, and lazed around on the boat deck, relishing the ride through the idyllic waters and surveying village life on the shores of Vembanad Lake.
But, their jaunt did not last long. When the houseboat reached near Pathiramanal island in Alappuzha district around 1.15 p.m., the passengers had the scare of their lives. A fire, which reportedly started near the kitchen soon began to consume the double-decker houseboat. The group, among them two infants, a four-year-old boy, six women and four men, had little time to contemplate and they jumped into the water. They survived as all of them landed where the water level remained low.
No driver
A probe revealed that the houseboat had been flouting norms — without mandatory registration, pollution clearance and third party insurance — since 2013. The most shocking part is that the vessel was cruising without a driver and life-saving gear. Apart from the srank, other crew members in the boat lacked licences. According to officials, the houseboat had illegally conducted at least 20 trips in the past one month alone.
It was not an isolated incident involving houseboats in Alappuzha backwaters. On September 23, 2018, 32 tourists had a narrow escape when two houseboats collided near Pallathuruthy. The police then arrested a person on charges of driving it without a valid licence. Prior to this, on April 3, 2018, a two-year-old girl from Thane in Maharashtra lost her life after falling from a houseboat at Kainakary. A seven-year-old boy drowned in Vembanad Lake at Kannitta Jetty, on April 13, 2018.
With recurring accidents, proliferation of houseboats far in excess of the carrying capacity of the backwaters and illegal operations in the absence of regulation, the houseboat industry, which is yet to fully recover from the back-to-back floods, has found itself in a predicament. “It is a sector without regulation, to say the least. There is an urgent need to rein in houseboats violating rules and safety guidelines. After all, tourism is affected. If we cannot ensure safety, tourists will stop coming. The entire backwater tourism sector will be in peril,” said a Tourism Department official.
24x7 service
In the early days, houseboats operated only during the peak tourism season. However, tourist activity in the area has exploded unimaginably and the houseboat industry transformed itself into a 24x7 service, turning into a multi-crore business. As per a report of the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), Kozhikode, the recreational carrying capacity of the lake is 262 boats.
Based on the report, the government had imposed a ban on new houseboats in Alappuzha after December 31, 2013, but with little effect. Houseboat numbers have been on an upward spiral.
According to the Ports Department, the licensing authority, the number of registered houseboats in the backwaters stood at 775. However, they are clueless on the actual number of illegal houseboats.
“We received 316 applications for registration during an adalat conducted last year. However, inspections revealed that most of the boats were built in violation of rules and we rejected their applications. The number of houseboats operating without a licence would be much higher,” said an official with the Ports Department. In another assessment by authorities, following the molestation of a British national on a houseboat in December 2017, the number of boats were calculated at 1,534 with almost half of them operating with registration and certificates.
A risky affair
Non-compliance with safety measures make houseboat cruising a risky affair altogether. A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report submitted to the State Assembly in August 2017 revealed instances of houseboats being operated by the cooks, helpers, or lascars. “Houseboats were operating in the backwaters without competent crew, life-saving appliances and fire-fighting equipment. This was an indication of insufficient monitoring which in turn compromised safety of passengers,” the CAG report said.
Despite a number of unpleasant incidents, hardly any measures have been taken to rein in illegal operations. For authorities, it has become a routine to stage a public stunt following an incident, in the form of a police raid or a joint drive involving the Ports, Tourism, Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), and the police. Same was the case after the Pathiramanal incident too. No major action has been taken against the owner and crew of the houseboat, let alone steps to check violations and seize boats operating illegally.
An emergency meeting of the District Disaster Management Authority held on January 25 decided to make licence mandatory for all houseboats in the district. As per the decision, houseboats without registration will be given a time-frame to register with the Alappuzha Port of Registry. It is noteworthy that all the previous moves to restrict houseboats registered in other districts from operating in Alappuzha and bring boats without registration on board the licensing system have come a cropper.
Department’s version
The Ports Department blames lack of resources and staff for its ability to act against violators. “The Ports Department lacks people and resources to conduct inspections and rein in illegal houseboats. The only way to bring in order is by seizing illegal boats and dismantling them. But, this has to be decided at the highest level,” an official said.
Hari Achutha Warrier, regional port officer, said the proposal for an enforcement wing had stayed on paper. “It is mandatory under the Kerala Inland Vessel Rules (KIVR) to establish an enforcement wing under a Dy.SP, and assisted by a sub-inspector and police officers for periodic inspection of houseboats. The wing should patrol inland waters to ensure the safety of the passengers, including at night halt centres,” Mr. Warrier, who is also chief examiner, KIVR, and general manager (administration), Kerala Maritime Board said.
The Ports Department is not the only stakeholder in the sector. Police, KSPCB, and Tourism too play a role. “Lack of coordination among government departments helps houseboat operators defy rules. A district-level regulatory authority with representatives from the district administration, Ports, Tourism, KSPCB, police, Fire and Rescue Services will help regulate the sector,” the Tourism official suggested.
