25 Hitech Ambulances for Alappuzha

In a move to strengthen the health zone of Alappuzha, the authorities have sanction 25 hitech ambulances which includes facilities such as ICU, ventilator, oxygen cylinders, automatic trolleys, stretchers and other life saving equipments. The services of these hitech ambulances can be availed 24 x 7 by dialing 108.

There had been a huge shortage of ambulances in Alappuzha town and the introduction of hi tech ambulances are seen as a measure to solve the shortages of the ambulances. Once 108 is dialed, the hitech ambulances would rush to the accident spot or any other destination to offer their help. There would always be a ambulance driver and a technician inside the ambulance and this makes things more easy.

The hitech ambulance is also expected to be much helpful for patients suffering from heart stroke as the ambulance has the most advanced equipments which can  serve the patients in a much better way. An hitech ambulance was allowed for alappuzha district one year back, but unfortunately the ambulance was later offered to some other districts, which led to huge protests.   

A new agency would be appointed to manage the operations of these hitech ambulances in Alappuzha and the health department authorities would be conducting a meeting in Trivandrum regarding the finalization of this. Hope that more hitech ambulances would be allotted to other districts in Kerala, which really needs such services.

Alappuzha All Set for the Traditional Boat Races

Alappuzha is well known for the array of boat races it conducts during a year and the boat races in Alappuzha are so famous that people from different regions comes here to view the amazing boat race. A wide variety of boats would be assembled on various backwater section in Alappuzha making an entire festive atmosphere. The boat races in Alappuzha has been there since a long time and it is a matter of pride for the locals to conduct these boat races successfully.

Some of the major boat race competition in Alappuzha include the Champakulam boat race, the Nehru Trophy Boat race at Punnamada lake, the Rajiv Gandhi Boat race at Pulinkunnu and the Kayamkulam boat race. Besides these there are many other small boat races in Alappuzha and most of these boat races are centered around the period of the traditional festival Onam.

The participants of the boat race spends months of valuable time in practicing and they consider it as a matter of pride to win these prestigious trophy. The "Vanchi Pattu", a peculiar folk song related to the boat races are also being practiced during the prepratory section. There are various boat clubs, who participate in these tournaments and they usually spend around 80 lakhs to 1 crore rupees as a part of the preparation and participation in these boat races.

Of all these boat races the Champakulam boat race is the oldest one and a number of well known boat clubs take part in this race. The second most popular is the Nehru Trophy boat race which takes place at the Punnamada lake and is very much popular in the international arena. This occurs during the second Saturday of August every year. The next Saturday Pulinkunnu would be hosting the Rajiv Gandhi boat race which is also a popular one. The fourth saturday of August would be the time for Kayamkulam boat race after that there is the Mamman Mappila boat race at Neerettupuram. The boat race season in Alappuzha comes to an end with the Pallana Kumarakodi boat race.

The boat races marks the arrival of the new tourist season in Alappuzha and as a results a lot of foreigners would be present there to watch this amazing boat races. The boat races in Alappuzha are a real treat to the eyes and the mood and spirit during these times would be electrifying.

Pathiramanal Island in Alappuzha

Pathiramanal is an amazing tourist spot in Alappuzha and is around 1.5 hours drive by a motor boat from Alappuzha. If you are taking a speed boat, then it would take only around 30 minutes to reach Pathiramanal. Pathiramanal is actually a small island on the backwaters of Alappuzha and is visited by a large number of tourist throughout the year.  A large number of rare and unique birds which migrate from other parts of the world are found at Pathiramanal.

The island is pretty beautiful in its appearance and is surrounded by the famous Vembanad lake, and the only mode of transport which helps you in getting to Pathiramanal is the boat services. The island is greenish in nature and is a perfect destination for those who wants to take a cool break and also for those who are interested in bird watching and similar activities.  Some of the major bird species that is found in Pathiramanal are e Pintail Ducks, Common Teal, Night Heron, Cormorant, Darter, Indian Shag, Purple Heron, gulls, terns, large egrets, Intermediate Egret, Cattle Egret, Indian Pond Heron, Little Egret etc.

The Pathiramanal island is actually situated between Kumarakom and Thaneermukkom and is located on the border of Kottayam and Alappuzha district. Since the island is surrounded by backwaters, you would be getting cool breeze throughout the day. The atmosphere here at Pathiramanal is very much calm and quiet and helps you to get relaxed and be free from the hassles of city life.

There are many resorts and hotels in and around Alappuzha where you can get a decent accommodation. The nearest railhead is at Alappuzha and the nearest airport is at Cochin.