CHENNAI: Apart from providing scenic beauty, Hogenakkal serves as a tourist spot for the public from Tamil Nadu and Bengaluru. “Freshly cooked fresh-water fish, oil massage and coracle rides adds to the fun elements in Hogenakkal. It’s also considered to be a cost-effective tourist spot. The entire tourism business revolves around the water falls and the coracle ride,” said an official source with Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation. Selvaraj, a coracle owner in Hogenakkal said that if there is no flow in the Cauvery, then the entire livelihood of coracle owners will be affected.

“Coracle in Hogenakkal can be operated only if 8,000 cusecs of water in the river. There are over 100 families depending on this business. Most come in May. So we earn from Rs 1,000-2,000 per day. Likewise, there are some influx of tourists on weekends and holidays. We also do fishing in the river during periods of low flow. We sell the catch and earn some income for the day. Otherwise, we stay at home. If there is no flow in Cauvery, our entire livelihood will be affected,” lamented Selvaraj.

According to sources in the State forest department, Hogenakkal stretch also serves as a bio hot-spot for fresh-water fish and the endangered Otter. Otters need a large roaming area that can be assured in a perennial Cauvery. They’re protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and found in Hogenakkal. “Otters are semi-aquatic and transfer the micro-nutrients from water to soil. They consume large amounts of fish from the river and their excreta adds the organic micro-nutrient required for the soil. It’s all interconnected – water flow, fish, Otter and soil fertility,” opined conservation scientist A Kumaraguru of Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Tiruchy.