Commuters in Changanassery can finally breathe a sigh of relief as the State Water Transport Department (SWTD) has officially resumed its passenger boat services from the Changanassery boat jetty. The popular transport route had been suspended for the past one and a half months due to a severe water hyacinth infestation that completely choked the jetty canal. Following a comprehensive cleanup operation, a passenger boat successfully completed its trip from Changanassery to Alappuzha via Lisieux. The SWTD has announced that the daily service will depart from Changanassery at 12:30 pm.

Impact on flood rescue and tourism
The dense accumulation of weeds in the canal had far-reaching consequences beyond daily transport disruption. During recent flooding, emergency rescue operations in Kuttanad were severely hampered because rescue vessels could not access Changanassery through the weed-choked waters. It was only after the intervention of local MLA Job Michael that the Irrigation Department initiated the weed-clearing process. The prolonged delay in clearing the canal also forced the SWTD to cancel its popular Onam tour packages, resulting in substantial revenue losses. Furthermore, the thick weeds regularly caused mechanical failures in the boats. A vessel repaired at the Alappuzha dock and deployed on July 15, 2024, managed to operate for only a single week before the weeds forced it back into dry dock.

Demand for a permanent solution
While the Irrigation Department has successfully cleared the canal for now, allowing SWTD officials to green-light the route after a safety inspection, local residents are demanding a long-term strategy. The community is calling for a permanent mechanism to prevent weeds from drifting into the boat jetty canal. In addition to the weed menace, a heavy buildup of silt and mud has drastically reduced the canal's depth. SWTD officials have warned that unless the canal undergoes proper dredging, dropping water levels during the dry summer season could once again bring boat services to a standstill.