There are always two sides to the stories shown in the media and sometimes it is tough to decide what the right picture is... So we have to use our wisdom to interpret media reports at times.
As we all know, in the month of August, down South, Mother Nature unleashed her fury and millions were caught off-guard in the states of Kerala and Karnataka. The rainfall broke all records and was one of the worst the region has seen in a century. The region saw catastrophic damage - all dams were at full capacity and rivers were overflowing, flooding whatever was in their paths; homes and small businesses were submerged and several of them destroyed; roads and bridges damaged; over 350 perished; farmlands were washed away. The locals say “never seen so much rain nor such fury of rushing water”.
Thankfully the rains have stopped and the sun is shining bright. The water level has receded and Mother Nature is smiling. EB has its own offices and staff in Kerala – all are safe and their families are well. We stand staunch with our team in the South and are helping them to rebuild not only their homes, but their neighborhoods as well.
Thankfully it is all over now and we must talk about what lies ahead and how best we can support the State to rebuild the infrastructure. We commend the resilience of the people of Kerala, the local administration, volunteers and the Indian army, all helping the state to recover faster than expected.
We spoke to many friends down South to get the real time update of the work on ground and how bad the situation is or will be in the coming days, including from the tourism point of view, which is a major source of income for the locals in the state of Kerala. It is imperative for the travel trade to extend support with a steady stream of business in the season ahead.
Here is an update, we have put together based on the actual feedback received from our Cochin and Bangalore offices, hotel partners and friends on the ground (not on any media reports!). Hope this helps to give you a correct picture of the recovery work across the state and help you take a wise decision on the clients’ itineraries in the coming winter season (1st October onwards).
Though it did rain heavily in the district, the rains did not affect Mysore town or its surrounding areas. All tourist sites and hotels are open.
It has not been affected at all by the floods in Kerala/Coorg. There was a rise in the water level but it did not impact in any loss. The reports on sighting of leopards and tigers in the national park is encouraging. Come October, the rains would have stopped and there are possibilities of better sighting. Since the Kabini dam is a catchment area, the dam it will be always under tight scrutiny. Due to the rains in the Wayanad area during the first week of August, the water levels rose by nearly a foot, but is now normal.
The landslides at Coorg did not affect the Orange County property or its surroundings. There was some damage caused by the landslide in the interior part of Madikeri town, but sightseeing sites have not been affected.
The region is absolutely fine, some damage in the interior villages but nothing on the main sites. Properties like Tranquil and Wayanad Wild suffered no damage, but could not function for a week since the highway had to be closed. However both hotels are open and had guests stay with them. The roads coming and going out of Wayanad into Ooty, Coorg, Bangalore and Kozikode all are operational.
Fort Cochin and Mattanchery areas as well as Willingdon Island, where Taj Malabar is located, are totally safe and were not affected. All the properties we work with are fully functional.
The low lying areas were badly affected by water logging, which stumped the life of poor fishermen and habitants on the banks of the backwaters. Although the water receded from almost all parts of Kerala, the water level in Kumarakom / Alleppey area is receding slowly. Right now, all houses in the backwaters are going through a massive cleaning process. As per the locals, it would be safe to start promoting houseboat cruises after 5th September as life around the backwaters will be fully back to normal by then. It will take few more weeks for the entire backwater area to get back to normal.
Regarding the hotels in Kumarakom, a few of our clients stayed in Kumarakom Lake Resort couple of days ago and their stay was absolutely fine. All east end lakeside hotels are operational. Coconut Lagoon officially announced that they will be operational from 10th September onwards. As some of the hotel’s landscape got damaged, we are hoping that hotels in this area will be operational completely from 10th September.
Likewise, in Alleppey, some hotels are getting ready with clean up works in progress and few hotels are already in operation. Guests have started staying there and they are fine. By mid / end of September, Alleppey would also be ready to accommodate all guests.
All Houseboats in Alleppey were ready for operation from Monday, 27th August. However the clogged water on the jetties has to be cleaned up. Thus, clients are picked up by Motor boats from the boat jetty and they are transferred to houseboats. A team of people is working round the clock on the cleaning operations and aims to have the boat jetties ready in the next two weeks.
This region was badly affected by the rain and was cut off from the main land for some time. However, the Cochin to Munnar road has been cleared and small vehicles and light duty vehicles are able to ply, though the driving time is longer, since temporarily roads have been made by clearing the landslides In Munnar, guests can visit the Tea museum, Mattupetty dam, Eco Point, Kundala dam and Top station to enjoy the beauty of the misty mountains, valleys and tea gardens.
However getting to Eravikulam National Park from Munnar is a challenge. Guests need to cross a bridge 3 km from Munnar town. This bridge is completely damaged by the landslides. As of now vehicles are halted near the bridge and guests have to walk to the opposite side on a temporary concrete beam walkway. From here, a tuktuk ride gets you to the park entry area and vice versa. Work on repairing the bridge is in progress and will hopefully be completed by mid-September.
The activities covering visits to spice plantations and the Kathakali show are working. Eco tourism activities run by the Wildlife Department started in the first week of September.
As far as the road condition is concerned, the Madurai to Periyar road is open and vehicles are plying. Periyar to Kumarakom road is also open, Cochin to Coimbatore road is open, Cochin to Kovalam road is absolutely fine.
Cochin Airport was also shut down, but it is fully operationalfrom 2 pm on 29th August 2018 onwards. It was certainly a little set back, but the airport authority worked tirelessly to get the airport fully functional.
It is indeed hearting to see the kind of support pouring in from all across the world for Kerala. The local government is putting all its efforts in ensuring its people’s health and safety on priority. By God’s grace there are no major epidemics which is good news. However, there are reports of rat fever and Leptospirosis after the recent deluge in some villages and remote areas. The State government and Health department are taking strict precautionary measures and ensuring cleaning works in the affected areas in an aggressive and systematic way. All hospitals and clinics are stocked with ample medications and the health department volunteers are reaching out to every village and the affected areas, spreading awareness about precautions and cure. We are positive the State and its infrastructure will be back on its feet by end September.
The region needs our help and support even more now to gain the confidence of the traveler as well as to overcome the setback they have suffered.
Please contact your respective account manager at EB for latest update on Kerala or any questions pertaining to your bookings.
If you wish to make a donation or any kind financial assistance to the state of Kerala, the same can be provided using the CM’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) safely online - "https://donation.cmdrf.kerala.gov.in/". The donations are exempted from income tax as well as Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010.
To read more on “how to contribute” – log on to: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/kerala-floods-how-to-contribute-to-cms-distress-relief-fund-cmdrf-5309253/
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