Six Months After Tourists Set It On Fire, Heart Lake In Kerala's Wayanad To Reopen For Visitors

In February this year when the heart-shaped lake and its surroundings in Chembra peak in Keala's Wayanad District caught fire, allegedly due to the mindless action of some tourists, it left behind a harrowing sight.

The once lush green meadow spanning over 100 hectares of land which had wild elephants, deers and other wild animals were reduced into a heap of ash in a matter of a day, which the forest authorities believe was lit deliberately by some tourists.

Following the fire, the peak was closed down to tourists indefinitely.

Six months since the devastating fire, the forest authorities have now decided to reopen the peak to the tourists.

But keeping in mind the ecologically fragile nature of the area, the number of daily visitors have been limited to 200, as against the over a thousand visitors before the fire.

The naturally formed heart shaped lake, is situated on top of the Chembra peak, the highest peaks in Wayanad at an altitude of 2100m above sea level.

The peak, which has many endangered flora and fauna in abundance and the heart lake were among the most sought after destination for tourists and adventure seekers.

The fire at Chembra once again highlights the importance of responsible tourism, where visitors don't leave a trail of destruction behind, be it solid waste or causing forest fire.