Conflict between residents and tourists: The rise of houseboat tourism: Alleppey’s dirty waters
Author: Natalie Bruce
2 Commentries
Abstract: The aim of this discussion is to identify the environmental and social impacts that Kerala faces, due to increasing amount of houseboats in the region. As a result, this has caused conflict between local residents and tourists.
Key words: houseboats, sustainability, Kerala, local community
Kerala is one of the many states in India that attracts high volumes of tourists each year. It has also become increasingly more popular due to its unique features such as its scenery and lakes. Kerala has increased international tourism by 8.28% and domestic visitors by 7.21% in 2012. As a result, the states revenue increased through tourism expenditures and created over 2,000 jobs in Kerala (Bhubaneswar, 2013). One of Kerala’s key selling points has been their houseboat used to sail the backwaters for the height of relaxation; however, it has caused many negative impacts on the local community, many of which can be avoided through implementing sustainability.
Kettuvallam is a traditional thatched boat that is widely used in Kerala. These boats have been traditionally used for local transportation, transferring materials and shipping goods such as rice and spices between ports. In the past, Kettuvallam’s were used for practicality and also a main mode of transport as boats could access remote areas of Kerala’s backwaters. However, the uses of Kettuvallam’s have now changed, as it has become a popular tourist transport to explore the backwaters and it is also mainly used to promote Kerala as a tourist destination. Some of the Kettuvallam’s has been transformed into houseboats, which are described as luxurious floating cottages that attract millions of tourists each year. Moreover, although the Kettuvallam’s look luxurious for tourists and may give the impression of wealth, but many locals in the state of Kerala has been living under the poverty line and has also suffered from the negative impacts of houseboat tourism.
Currently, there are over 2000 houseboats in Kerala accommodating mass amount of tourists each year, which overcrowds the backwaters and draws unwanted attention to the local community. Since most of Kerala’s residential areas are alongside the lakes, local’s privacy and culture are continuously being invaded, as houseboats tend to sail near private houses and even overlooking them (Tourism Concern, 2014). Sometimes, the villages in Kerala are sensationalized for how the community lives (e.g. locals washing clothes on the banks) and the uniqueness of their customs and traditions. Tourists that tours on these houseboats often take pictures of local people by their houses, which not only invade privacy, it also shows a lack of respect. Some communities in Kerala are poor and when luxurious houseboats float by with tourists taking pictures of communities it sometimes causes a sense of resentment
Furthermore, the greatest impact of houseboats would be on the environment as they have reduced the water quality in the region by polluting it with sewage wastage and kerosene from the electricity generators on board. On average houseboats discharge 230,160 liters of waste into the Vembanad Lake on a daily basis, not including wastage dumping in other areas of Kerala. The marine life in the lakes has deteriorated from pollution and locals refrain from fishing in certain areas, as kerosene can be tasted in the fish.
The District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), the operator of the sewage treatment plant in Kerala was put in place by the government for sustainable elimination of houseboat waste. However, (The New Indian Express, 2014) newspaper article stated only 100 out of 1000 houseboats operating in Alleppey had used the waste plant to treat waste and many other houseboat operators are using their own treatment plants but many others are still dumping waste into the water.
The local community uses the backwaters for daily living such as drinking, fishing, cooking and agriculture. However, the worrying factor is that less than half of the locals in Kerala actually treat the water before consumption as clean water is scarce, which forces them to depend on untreated water and as a result, locals have been getting infected with waterborne illnesses such as hepatitis A, typhoid and acute diarrhea.
Furthermore, there are positive and negative impacts, which the community faces with tourism within the Kerala region. As highlighted, even though houseboats create many benefits, the negative impacts out way the positives. It is very possible for Kerala to continue to host tourism and promote it as a tourist destination. However, reinforcing sustainable practices in the area is highly needed for the future of the community, as locals are the livelihood of any tourist destination. This can also minimize tourism conflict along the waters, as it will be a pleasurable experience for both parties. Brebbia, Favro and Pineda (2014) stated that sustainable tourism is not a type of tourism, but it is a concept, which includes different forms of tourism such as eco-tourism, soft tourism and responsible tourism. Sustainable tourism is defined as the goal that must be achieved in any form of tourism, which could help to minimize Kerala’s negative impacts of houseboat tourism.
References
Brebbia, C., Favro, S. and Pineda, F. (2014) Sustainable tourism VI. Southhampton: WIT Press.
Concern, T. (2012) Save Alleppey Backwaters |. Tourismconcern.org.uk, [online]. [Accessed 24 March 2015]. Available at: <http://tourismconcern.org.uk/save-alleppey/>.
The Guardian, (2009) Why Kerala needs eco-tourism. [online]. [Accessed 1 May 2015]. Available at: <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/06/india-kerala>.
Key words: houseboats, sustainability, Kerala, local community
Kerala is one of the many states in India that attracts high volumes of tourists each year. It has also become increasingly more popular due to its unique features such as its scenery and lakes. Kerala has increased international tourism by 8.28% and domestic visitors by 7.21% in 2012. As a result, the states revenue increased through tourism expenditures and created over 2,000 jobs in Kerala (Bhubaneswar, 2013). One of Kerala’s key selling points has been their houseboat used to sail the backwaters for the height of relaxation; however, it has caused many negative impacts on the local community, many of which can be avoided through implementing sustainability.
Kettuvallam is a traditional thatched boat that is widely used in Kerala. These boats have been traditionally used for local transportation, transferring materials and shipping goods such as rice and spices between ports. In the past, Kettuvallam’s were used for practicality and also a main mode of transport as boats could access remote areas of Kerala’s backwaters. However, the uses of Kettuvallam’s have now changed, as it has become a popular tourist transport to explore the backwaters and it is also mainly used to promote Kerala as a tourist destination. Some of the Kettuvallam’s has been transformed into houseboats, which are described as luxurious floating cottages that attract millions of tourists each year. Moreover, although the Kettuvallam’s look luxurious for tourists and may give the impression of wealth, but many locals in the state of Kerala has been living under the poverty line and has also suffered from the negative impacts of houseboat tourism.
Currently, there are over 2000 houseboats in Kerala accommodating mass amount of tourists each year, which overcrowds the backwaters and draws unwanted attention to the local community. Since most of Kerala’s residential areas are alongside the lakes, local’s privacy and culture are continuously being invaded, as houseboats tend to sail near private houses and even overlooking them (Tourism Concern, 2014). Sometimes, the villages in Kerala are sensationalized for how the community lives (e.g. locals washing clothes on the banks) and the uniqueness of their customs and traditions. Tourists that tours on these houseboats often take pictures of local people by their houses, which not only invade privacy, it also shows a lack of respect. Some communities in Kerala are poor and when luxurious houseboats float by with tourists taking pictures of communities it sometimes causes a sense of resentment
Furthermore, the greatest impact of houseboats would be on the environment as they have reduced the water quality in the region by polluting it with sewage wastage and kerosene from the electricity generators on board. On average houseboats discharge 230,160 liters of waste into the Vembanad Lake on a daily basis, not including wastage dumping in other areas of Kerala. The marine life in the lakes has deteriorated from pollution and locals refrain from fishing in certain areas, as kerosene can be tasted in the fish.
The District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), the operator of the sewage treatment plant in Kerala was put in place by the government for sustainable elimination of houseboat waste. However, (The New Indian Express, 2014) newspaper article stated only 100 out of 1000 houseboats operating in Alleppey had used the waste plant to treat waste and many other houseboat operators are using their own treatment plants but many others are still dumping waste into the water.
The local community uses the backwaters for daily living such as drinking, fishing, cooking and agriculture. However, the worrying factor is that less than half of the locals in Kerala actually treat the water before consumption as clean water is scarce, which forces them to depend on untreated water and as a result, locals have been getting infected with waterborne illnesses such as hepatitis A, typhoid and acute diarrhea.
Furthermore, there are positive and negative impacts, which the community faces with tourism within the Kerala region. As highlighted, even though houseboats create many benefits, the negative impacts out way the positives. It is very possible for Kerala to continue to host tourism and promote it as a tourist destination. However, reinforcing sustainable practices in the area is highly needed for the future of the community, as locals are the livelihood of any tourist destination. This can also minimize tourism conflict along the waters, as it will be a pleasurable experience for both parties. Brebbia, Favro and Pineda (2014) stated that sustainable tourism is not a type of tourism, but it is a concept, which includes different forms of tourism such as eco-tourism, soft tourism and responsible tourism. Sustainable tourism is defined as the goal that must be achieved in any form of tourism, which could help to minimize Kerala’s negative impacts of houseboat tourism.
References
Brebbia, C., Favro, S. and Pineda, F. (2014) Sustainable tourism VI. Southhampton: WIT Press.
Concern, T. (2012) Save Alleppey Backwaters |. Tourismconcern.org.uk, [online]. [Accessed 24 March 2015]. Available at: <http://tourismconcern.org.uk/save-alleppey/>.
The Guardian, (2009) Why Kerala needs eco-tourism. [online]. [Accessed 1 May 2015]. Available at: <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/06/india-kerala>.