A family takes a selfie during a boat ride through the water lily covered polders at Malarikkal in Kottayam on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: VISHNU PRATHAP
The floods may have left the backwater villages of Kottayam battered and bruised, but they have left Malarikkal blooming once again. As the waters recede, vast polders in the village are turning into a pink carpet of water lilies, drawing visitors in the early hours of the day.The water lily season at Malarikkal, a popular monsoon attraction, had a rather subdued start this year following a weak monsoon. But the floods appear to have changed that, with the plants now bursting into full bloom.“The floods, which are an annual phenomenon here, have been a blessing in disguise this time,” said K. Anil Kumar, convenor of the Meenachil-Meenanthara-Kodoor river relinking programme, which organises the annual Ambal Vasantham water lily festival at Malarikkal. The collective is also planning a host of new initiatives to further promote the destination, he said.Floods clear weedsThe rising waters forced most villagers into relief camps for nearly a week in the first week of August and they have only recently begun returning home. “But the floods also washed away the weeds that had spread among the water lilies during the weak monsoon. The weeds had threatened to overwhelm the lily plants this season,” he said.With the rains receding and the floodwaters draining away, visitors have begun trickling in to witness the spectacular bloom. The crowds are particularly heavy on holidays, with visitors arriving as early as 5.30 a.m. By 6 a.m., boats carrying tourists begin heading into the lily-filled polders, where the flowers remain in full bloom until around 9 a.m.
