HC crackdown grounds houseboats on Vembanad Lake

Hundreds of houseboats gliding across the placid waters of Vembanad Lake are now heading into choppy waters, as the strict enforcement of a Kerala High Court order threatens to ground a significant section of the fleet.

Cracking down on violations, the Ports department has dispatched inspection squads across Alappuzha and Kottayam to identify houseboats operating without pollution control systems and valid certification. Directions have been issued to carry out random checks, with non-compliant vessels facing immediate detention. More than 1,600 houseboats are estimated to be operating across the backwaters of the two districts.