Waterfall tourism State gives a stern warning but then

Mangaluru/Udupi/Karwar: Just two days after the state gives out a warning that waterfall tourism during the monsoon was to be discouraged three deaths have been reported in the coastal and Malnad region. On Sunday a 23-year-old doing a monsoon chasing activity slipped and fell into the whitewater rapids created by a seasonal waterfall and got washed off, this happened near Kollur in Udupi district. He has been identified as Sharath Kumar of Bhadrvati of Shivamogga district.

Similar incidents have been reported in Chikkamagaluru and Hassan districts in the last week.

The forest department has not permitted anybody into the waterfall locations and even the seasonal passes given for a limited time to enter the forests have been suspended ever since the Monsoons have entered the state particularly the coastal and Malnad districts where monsoons are very vigorous. A high-ranking forst officer told Hans India that the forests are out of bounds for tourists even otherwise and a strict no no during the monsoons. In places like Hanuman Gundi (Chikkamagaluru district) Arasina Gundi (Udupi district), Honnamma falls (Chikkamagaluru district), and Abbi falls (Kodagu) considering these places turn extremely dangerous. The forest roads is only used for connectivity and not for tourism. The road inside the Kudremukh National Park from Mala Gate in the Udupi district to Sringeri in the Chikkamagaluru district is one of the zones that is out of bounds for any tourists, the vehicles are not even allowed to stop anywhere during the 35 kilometers stretch. Similarly, the stretches on Shirady, Charmady and Sampaje ghats that are full of seasonal waterfalls needs to be declared ‘out of bounds area’ during the monsoons.

According to the forest department officials the river banks become extremely volatile during the monsoons and the boulders on the river banks become slippery, It is not possible for the authorities to post officials to warn and prevent tourists from entering the forests everywhere along the 65,000 square kilometers of western ghats and the river banks. The tourists must know for themselves the responsibility and value of being safe.

Similary there are check points in Bhagavati, Nagaraholay, Bheemgadh, Mookambika and many other deeply wooded places that have convenient roads passing throiugh where tourists go into a frenzy taking selfies and making reels for their social media updates, putting their safety into jeopardy and inadvertently putting others also into trouble.

In the case of Sharat and his friend had trekked into the forest which is out out bound for tourists for six kilometers and landed into a place near the rapids.Many diving experts and local experts on course of the river have been pressed into service to find the body of Sharath.

In the video of the incident that has gone viral, Sharath is seen standing on a rock, while he slips and drowns. Family members of Sharath arrived in Kollur on Monday. Diving Expert Eshwar Malpe from Malpe went to the spot to assist fire and emergency services department staff in tracing the body. Kollur police have registered a case.