Very few are aware that Archal village in Kerala’s Kollam district has a beautiful waterfall named 'Erappu' located amidst lush greenery. Erappu, which means ‘noise’ in Malayalam, takes its name from the roaring sound that the waterfall produces. Surrounded by legends and secrets, the waterfall has a mystic beauty to it. Women in the village would rarely go there as people believed that it was a hub of ghosts and ‘gandharvas’ (mythological characters).
There are stories about a spooky cave near the waterfall, though no one has seen it. Tales describe how people went missing in the cave and later, the “spirits of these people” haunted visitors. However, these scary stories only helped a few miscreants, who found it to be a perfect place to hang out, to either consume alcohol or do drugs. After a few deaths were reported near the falls, the fear among villagers intensified and it became an abandoned place. The pollution in the area also didn't help matters.
But then, a section of people in the village, working in various fields, missed the spectacular beauty of the waterfall and wanted to restore it to its glorious past. In early June, a group of women workers under Kudumbashree and the NREGA scheme, volunteers from a local library called Shahul Hameed Memorial Granthasala and a youth club Naveena Arts and Sports club, together formed a committee called the Archal Oliyaruk Erappu Waterfalls Athijeevana Samiti to revive the waterfalls. Omana, the Panchayat ward member was appointed as chairperson of the Samiti.
Why Erappu waterfall is important
The committee also had the cooperation of the Eroor grama panchayat and the Forest Department. “Apart from the waterfall, the area is also a biodiversity centre that hosts several species of birds and animals. So, we understood the need to protect it,” Vishal Usha Udayakumar, the convener of the committee, told TNM.
They began their campaigning on World Environment Day, June 5, first by launching a clean-up drive. "The waterfall and the stream originating from it are part of this village's history. The agricultural practices and lifestyle have been associated with the Erappu waterfalls. So our campaign was community-based,” Vishal said.
The committee members were surprised to see that around 300 people joined the drive to plant trees and clean the water body. "A majority of them were women from the village. They were the ones who had difficulties in visiting the falls due to the scary stories and men gathering there,” he said.
Sacks of plastic waste were collected and removed from the area near the waterfall; the surroundings were cleaned and trees were planted on both sides of the path that leads to the waterfall.
Apart from cleaning the area, the people also wanted to break the notorious tales associated with the waterfall, to encourage everybody to visit the place. The committee members campaigned that there are no mysteries surrounding the waterfall and that there are no invisible caves. "A few people died here by accidentally falling into the water, probably in a drunken state. There were no mysteries in the deaths but people got scared,” Vishal said.
Illegal encroachment was another threat in the area. People who had rubber plantations nearby started entering the forest land.
However, things started changing after the Erappu revival campaign in June. “With frequent involvement by the locals, the police also keep an eye these days," said Vishal.
The District Tourism Promotion Council has included Archal village on its tourist map. "Now visitors are rushing here. During Onam holidays in September, Erappu waterfalls witnessed a huge crowd," he said.
Vishal added that the committee is closely monitoring the cleanliness of Erappu regularly since June. They are planning to hold different campaigns enlisting educational institutions to preserve the natural beauty of Erappu.
“We have fixed dustbins in and around Erappu so that no waste is thrown into the water. Erappu is the lifeline of Archal village," he said.
The villagers hope that soon the area will be a preserved biodiversity zone, free from all kind of human interventions that harm the environment.
“For the last three months, everything has been going as we had planned. After we started the campaign, people have become aware and we have got huge public support," Vishal said.