btechktu.blogspot.in btechktu.blogspot.in btechktu.blogspot.in

E B1E003

PART B
(Read the Stories/Cases/Data set as the case may be, and answer ALL questions. Each
FULL question carries 10 Marks.)

Case 1

Kumarakom, a backwater tourism hub in Kerala is gaining importance in the tourist map due to
its natural charm and aesthetic beauty. Kumarakom is situated in the banks of Vembanad Kayal
(backwater); 10 km. west of the Kottayam District Head Quarters in Kerala. The arrival of
tourism industry was well received by the local people initially with the land value increasing
many folds in the potential areas for tourism ventures. Local farmers offered their agricultural
lands and paddy fields for tourism construction at exorbitant prices. The temporary employment
opportunities in the construction sector and relatively higher wages earned, made the local
workers happy. But all was not well in the years to come. The clustering of the resorts on the
banks of Vembanad Kayal denied access to local people involved in fishing and shell collection
to the kayal. The irony is that tourism has contributed nothing in improving the infrastructure
development or the development of service and productive sectors in Kumarakom. The
employment opportunity in the tourism sector was not favourable to the local community with
80% of the regular employees in big hotels appointed from outside Kumarakom. Women and
agricultural labourers displaced from the lands converted for tourism could not be compensated
with alternative jobs. The contract labourers appointed by the tourism industry did not have job
security and were terminated at any time without assigning any reason. Although these workers
are eligible for minimum wages, they are paid at much lower rates.

Module 1
Q9
a) List any three major challenges for attaining environmental sustainability in Kumarakom.
(3)
b) Illustrate the need for sustainability in tourism sector. (4)
c) Suggest three ways to mitigate the adverse impacts created by tourism on the ecology of
Kumarakom. (3)

Case 2.

Air pollution is responsible for many health problems in the urban areas. The air pollution status
in Kerala has undergone many changes in terms of the levels of pollutants and the control
measures taken to reduce them. Air pollution in the state is mainly due to Industrial and
vehicular emissions. The transport sector in urban areas has created major problems of air
pollution due to the rapid growth in the number of motor vehicles. Number of registered vehicles
has increased considerably in the state for last ten years. The vehicle density in the state is very
high compared to many other states in India. Kerala has 5958 vehicles per 100 sq. km. of area
and 7272 of vehicles per lakh population. The number of vehicles is increasing at a rate of 10
percent annum, leading to concurrent increase in serious air pollution, Recently National Green
Tribunal banned light and heavy diesel vehicles which are more than 10 years old in six
municipal corporations in Kerala. The order also prevented the state government from registering
new diesel vehicles of 2000 cc and above. Later Kerala High Court stayed above mentioned
NGT orders on diesel vehicles.

Page 2 of 4

btechktu.blogspot.in btechktu.blogspot.in btechktu.blogspot.in