ALAPPUZHA: The word ‘houseboat’ is a synonym of leisure tourism in Kerala. However, the houseboats of the backwaters of Alappuzha had literally become abodes for many flood-displaced people in Kuttanad. More than 3,000 people were staying in around 150 houses boats, which have been moored on the shores of the Vembanad lake during the deluge.
Says Thomas Mathew, owner of PTR Holidays, a houseboat operator of Punnamada: “I have been staying in the houseboat for the past many days with my parents, wife and three children. My house, Parathara at Punnamada, was inundated by August 17. The water level had reached my neck. So, we shifted from our house to the two-bedroom houseboat anchored at Punnamada.”
“The water level reached above four to five feet at Punnamada area. We realised the stay in the houseboat would be safer. The flow of water was very low in the lake. So, we shifted to the houseboat. Many houseboat owners and employees’ families shifted to boats in Punnamada, Nedumudy, Pulinkunnu, Pallathuruthy, Kainakari, Vattakayal and other areas,” Thomas said.
The water level in the Vembanad lake had started to increase by August 16. People started to move from the backwaters to the mainland of Alappuzha. The district administration was asked to deploy houseboats for rescue operations and many participated in the task. But a few neglected the plea of the government and it invited the ire of the public. Later, the police arrested a few houseboat owners.
S Sreekumar, former president, All-Kerala Houseboat Owners Association, said there are as many as 800 registered houseboats in the backwaters. “Most of the boats took part in the rescue operations. After the initial operation, many families of houseboat owners and employees shifted to houseboats, because no houses were spared from the flood water in Kuttanad taluk,” he said.
“Some of the owners were hesitant to deploy boats for rescue operations. It was due to the lack of boat crew. The employees of the boat are from Kuttanad and Alappuzha backwater areas. Their houses were also inundated,” he added.