Lacklustre season robs the charm of ‘Saral Thiruvizha’ at Courtallam
The annual 'Saral Thiruvizha' festival in Courtallam has been significantly scaled down due to a lack of rainfall caused by El Nino. The dry spell has negatively impacted local tourism and the livelihoods of business owners who rely on the seasonal influx of visitors.
Why it matters
Climate-driven weather patterns are directly threatening regional tourism economies and traditional cultural events.
The prolonged dry spell along the Western Ghats that almost dried the waterfalls of Courtallam has robbed the sheen of ‘Saral Thiruvizha’ which would be celebrated with pomp.
After the southwest monsoon became a cropper this year, thanks to the Super El Nino, rainfall along the Western Ghats, which would drench the mountains between June and August every year, has been a great disappointment. Consequently, storage level in the four major dams of Tenkasi district – Ramanadhi, Gadana, Karuppanadhi and Adavinainarkovil – has been pathetic.
Besides uprooting farming operations, the monsoon failure has also overturned tourism at Courtallam, which would attract a few lakh visitors every year for taking bath in the waterfalls and relish the scintillating weather.
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