As part of preparations for the third edition of Pavayil Village Tourism Fest, a committee of local residents on Sunday launched a mass cleaning drive on the banks of the Akalappuzha river.
Huge quantities of discarded plastic bottles and other solid waste materials were collected during the drive, which also drew the active participation of women and children.
Coordinators of the cleaning initiative said it would continue in the days to come with the participation of more local residents’ forums and students’ groups. Country boats too will be used to remove floating waste from rivers, they added.
K. Premanath, a local coordinator of the fest, said the support of recycling units would be sought to scientifically treat plastic waste. “Because of the geographical features of the region, even waste dumped from the Purakkattiri bridge reach Pavayil village. We have no option but to manually clean everything ahead of the fest to showcase the natural beauty of the place,” he explained.
The Pavayil fest, known for the promotion of village tourism activities with the support of local residents, will begin on April 4. According to the organisers, the nine-day fest will be a novel experience for those who wish to explore village life and the beauty of river-side stay. As usual, food fest and a cultural extravaganza will pep up the celebrations, they said.
Local tourism entrepreneurs said the last two editions of the fest had helped them highlight the tourism potential of the region. Besides encouraging people to visit the spot, the event enabled local residents to come up with various revenue generation models, they said.