Kumarakam: Fisherfolk and the boats carrying tourists are unable to reach the banks due to the alarming water hyacinth proliferation in the Vembanad Lake. The waterweed gets deposited in the eastern side of the lake when the wind blows from the west.

Fisherfolk and other boats avoid these routes as the boats may get stuck in the thick waterweeds that spreads across kilometres. The waterweed is thickly packed especially due to the high tides.

These aquatic organisms mostly get deposited along the sides of the streams that are connected to the lake. So, the boats are unable to return to these streams.

Waterweed also poses a challenge to the tourism sector as boating with tourists cannot be done in these waters. Many tourists return disappointed as they can’t enjoy boating in the backwaters. Moreover, the fisherfolk too are unable to take their boat into the lake for fishing.