A sparrow couple is busy building it’s home behind the defunct electricity meter of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Trust’s (GOMBRT) rapidly crumbling ecotourism complex on Tharuvaikulam beach. The birds might have chosen this spot for their home as no one would be visiting this place to disturb them. On hearing the unusual sounds of human steps approaching, the frightened birds suddenly fly away to the nearby casuarina tree. After the birds’ chirp fades away in gentle sea breeze, absolute silence returns to this ecotourism complex which should have been otherwise bustling with visitors.
Since the sea in Tharuvaikulam region, rich coral reefs, especially around Kasuvari and Vaan Islands, would be calm during most part of the year, the GOMBRT hand-picked Tharuvaikulam for its initiative – Tharuvaikulam Community-based Ecotourism Project – to attract tourists to this coastal hamlet housing 300 mechanised boats and 200 fibreglass country boats.
The highlight of this venture was taking the tourists in a glass-bottomed fibreglass boat to Kasuvari Island and organising scuba diving and snorkelling in the sea, which is not available anywhere in Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari districts. The visitors could venture into the sea except on Tuesdays from the shore for about 2 Km in a ₹12-lakh-fibreglass boat fabricated with glass- bottom through which tourists could see the underwater marine world, including beautiful corals, colourful fishes, sponges, starfishes, sea anemone, sea cucumber, varieties of conch, sea grass etc.
The glass-bottomed boat that once ferried tourists to the coral reef ground near Kasuvari Island lies unused.
| Photo Credit:
RAJESH N
While ₹300 per head was collected for venturing into the sea up to 2 Km with 10 to 12 passengers, fare for going up to 1 Km was ₹200 per head. Since the sea would be calm between 7 a.m. and 10.30 a.m., the tourists could go up to 2 Km., where these marine organisms are abundantly available in about 3 hectare area. Whenever the sea was calm even after 10 a.m. the tourists could visit these spots. Else, the tourists with life jackets were taken up to 1 Km for a lesser fare and the operation of boats would go on up to 4 p.m. The boat had a driver, a certified lifeguard and a lascar.
To take this venture to the next level and add more colour, GOMBRT introduced snorkelling and scuba diving also to take the tourists under the sea up to 20 feet depth. While snorkelling was done in the 6 feet-deep water, scuba diving was allowed in areas with 15 to 20 feet depth to swim around the colourful underwater world.
After formally registering the scheme – ‘Tharuvaikulam Ecotourism’, GOMBRT and the local community joined hands to execute this marine ecotourism project, worth ₹30 lakh with which equipment for snorkelling and scuba diving were also procured. A bank account was opened to maintain the revenue of this project through which GOMBRT was getting 60% of the revenue while the remaining 40% went to the local community participating in this venture.
Once an aesthetically fabricated coconut leaf shed where tourists enjoyed hot seafood lies in disrepair.
| Photo Credit:
RAJESH N
To treat the tastebuds of the tourists visiting Tharuvaikulam, the GOMBRT encouraged the local community, who are specialists in preparing mouthwatering fish curry and yummy dishes like fried fishes, squid, prawn and crab caught by the Tharuvaikulam fishermen everyday, to set-up their eateries in this complex.
Even as this project was expected to be a game-changer, the venture nosedived due to poor management. Even though thousands of tourists are using the East Coast Road everyday, the number of tourists visiting ‘Tharuvaikulam Ecotourism’ was very few due to lack of promotion at least through social media.
While the wooden jetty used for berthing the glass-bottomed boat has been completely destroyed by tides, the boats without engines are lying like scrap. The badly damaged toilets and changing rooms, both created in a wooden structure, are about to collapse anytime. The canteen, four concrete shades on the beach and the coconut leaf shades near the canteen, all created to attract the tourists are now lifeless and about to cave in.
A boat once used by forest personnel lies in a dilapidated state at Tharuvaikulam beach.
| Photo Credit:
RAJESH N
“We expected that this venture would augment the local community’s livelihood as it received good response from the tourists initially. When the officials failed to ensure proper operation of the boats, the problem started and it is almost dead now,” says fish exporter Manoharan of Tharuvaikulam.
While the tourists and nature and adventure lovers have lost an opportunity to visit the paradise beneath the sea, the local community has lost its livelihood.
District Forest Officer M. Ilaiyaraja, who assumed office here recently, assured that he would visit the spot and take necessary steps to revive the project as early as possible.
Published – November 09, 2025 05:22 pm IST
