THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Solar boats that glide silently, deriving power from the sun and allowing users to enjoy the tranquil water bodies without polluting it, are all set to act as a game changer in the aquatourism sector in the state.
Heralding the change is the country’s first boat club, with craft running on solar power, at Pallichal panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district, launched by a group of nature enthusiasts with help from a firm focusing on clean-tech innovation.
The Solar Boat Club, operating from a four-and-a-half acre pond taken on a three-year-lease from the panchayat, currently has four solar boats, each having a seating capacity of eight.
The club’s visitors are mostly school and college students who cherish the hands-on experience in operating the ‘quiet and clean’ twin-hull boats. They will also get the opportunity to try out a range of other eco-friendly technologies such as pedal-powered pumps, juicers and solar-powered grinders set up as part of a renewable energy park.
“Our aim is to provide quality boating experience to people and educate them through entertainment,” said S Shyam Kumar, the technical head of the `30-lakh project. Shyam said solar boats have low maintenance and running cost compared to the conventional ones.
Despite several complaints of water bodies in the state getting polluted because of diesel-powered tourist boats, the government is yet to give a push to the green idea. State Tourism Minister A P Anil Kumar said a decision would be taken only after conducting a detailed study on the subject.
But lack of government support has not dampened the spirits of Shyam who is also the technical director of Thiruvananthapuram-based ‘Innovation Experience’, which partnered with NRI businessmen Sadanandan K and Rajendran S to float the country’s first solar boat club.
“The boats can be used for 20 years and the 250-watt solar panels for 25 years. Only the battery needs to be replaced after five years and occasionally,” said Shyam, also the technical consultant for the Thenmala Eco-tourism Promotional Society in Kollam.
The solar boats were manufactured by ‘Iceberg Marines’ based in Thiruvananthapuram.
Dileep R Krishnan, Associate Professor of Ship Technology Department, Cusat, said the twin-hull boats provide more stability and deck area and assure better safety compared to single-hull boats.
The team plans to take the green technology to other districts by joining hands with the government or private companies.
According to Shyam, the trechnical head of solar boat project, they have identified several places across the state.
Since even a drop of kerosene or diesel from the conventional boats can be catastrophic for marine wealth, the Pallichal panchayat authorities have released fingerlings in the four-and-a-half acre pond to prove to the world that aeration due to propulsion from solar boats will be conducive for aquaculture.
Greens are upbeat about the novel initiative, which the Solar Boat Club team feel can take Kerala tourism, especially in Kuttanad, to another plank.
“It will be a boon for the backwaters of Ashtamudi and Kuttanad choked with alarming levels of carbon emissions from house boats and other mechanised boats cruising the lakes,” said environmentalist C R Neelakantan.
With the club becoming a hit, and successful in attracting tourists, the panchayat has plans to open a children’s park beside the boat club, said Pallichal panchayat president K Ragesh.