ALAPPUZHA

URBAN DESIGN
CONTEXT

the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it
can be fully understood
Introduction to alappuzha
ALAPPUZHA
Located between 9.50º N
latitude and 76.33º
longitude. It occupies
3.64% of Kerala.
Alappuzha –an overview • Known as the venice of east.
• It had port connections with Greece
,Portugal and European countries.

• north -kochi and kanayannur taluks in

ernakulam district.

• east- vaikom, kottayam and

changanassery taluks of
kottayam districts and
thiruvalla,kozhencherry and adoor
taluks of pattanamthitta districts.

• south-kunnathur and karunagappaly

of kollam district
• west- arabian sea

• The district has a network of rivers,

canals and backwaters . Manimala,
pampa and achankovil are the major
rivers.
 kottayam kollam cherthala

ambalappuzha

alappuzha
kuttanad

• Alappuzha district was formed on august 1957 august 17 Thiruvalla

• Carved out of the erstwhilie kottayam and Kollam chengannur

karthikapally
• Initially consist of seven taluks.

• six taluks are in present context. mavelikkara

• The district is divided into five statuatory towns and have

71 panchayats.
Alappuzha is the smallest district of kerala having

 area 1414 sq.km which constitutes 3.64% of the total state area.
 area of municipality -74.6 sqkm
 distances to important places- kottayam( 46 km), ernakulam (62 km),
trivandrum(155 km)

 sex ratio(1000)- 1100

 number of wards- 47
 largest ward- nehru trophy ward
 average literacy rate is 94.80 %, which earns third position in state.

 shares boundary with

north -kochi and kanayannur taluks in ernakulam district.

east- vaikom, kottayam and changanassery taluks of
kottayam districts and thiruvalla, kozhencherry
and adoor taluks of pattanamthitta districts.
south-kunnathur and karunagappaly of kollam district
connectivity
Transportation plays an important role in functioning of the town. The major modes include roads,
railways, waterways and airways.
Waterways were the initial mode of transportation which emerged as a part
of trade. As the towns started to grow road networks developed. Road network forms a grid pattern
between the canals.

air- cochin international airport (64 kms)

trivandrum international airport( 159 km)
rail- has two railway lines. They are ernakulam-
kayamkulam coastal coastal railway and
ernakulam kottayam kayamkulam line.
water- national waterway3 passes through
alappuzha. SWTD boat jetty provide
service to major towns like kottayam,
kollam and changanaserry.
road- national highway 66 passes through
alappuzha connects major cities.alappuzha
has 8 state highways
connectivity
national highway 66 passes through the city
there are eight state highways and three of them is originating from alapppuzha.
connectivity
Railway station is located 4.7 km from K.S.R.T.C bustand , 4.2 km from boat jetty and 3.6
from private bustand.
Private busstand and boat jetty is within one kilometer radius of K.S.R.T.C bus stand.
population
Population of alappuzha district- 2,121,943 1600
Popolation of alappuzha municipality-1,74,176 1400
Total.no of males in district- 10,10,252 1200
Total no.of females in district- 11,11,691 1000
Population in age group 0-6 – 1,86,022 800
As per 2011 census, alappuzha district stands in 9th 600
In population and 2nd in population density among 400
Other districts
200
1600 0

1400
1200
1000
800
600
400 1991 census

200 2001 census

0
2001-2011 census
KeralaAlappuzha
 1140
sex ratio 1120
The sex ratio of alappuzha is 1077 per 1100
thousand males according to 2011 census. 1080
1060
Child sex ratio of girls is 949 per thousand 1040
boys. 1020
1000
980
1120
960
940
1100

1080
1991 census
1060
2001 census
2001-2011 census
1040

1020

1000
Kerala Alappuzha
literacy rate
In education section, total literates in Alappuzha city are 152,107 of which 73,805 are
males while 78,302 are females.
Average literacy rate of Alappuzha city is 96.20 percent of which male and female
literacy was 97.61 and 94.91 percent

Literacy rate of india- 74.04%

Literacy rate of kerala- 93.91%
120

100

80

60

40

20

0
India Kerala Alappuzha
URBAN GROWTH
CULTURE
ART FORMS
•ELABORATE COSTUMES
VANCHIPAT •FOLK SONGS
•DETAILED GESTURES AND
TU PANANS
RHYTHMIC PLAYBACK MUSIC
• HARVESTING
COMPLEMENTARY PERCUSSION
SEASON
•PREVALENT LATIN CHRISTIAN
CHAVITTU •SOWING SEEDS
•NEHRU TROPHY BOAT
•FESTIVAL
NADAKM RACE PAYIPPAD BOAT
BOAT RACE
RACE, THIRUVANDOOR
TRADITIONAL CLOTHES ONAM FESTIVAL
COLOURFUL HEADGEAR
VELAKALI
VIGOROUS MOVEMENTS KADALVANCHI
DEXTEROUS SWORD PLAY •COASTAL FOLK
PATTU ART FORM
MATHOOR PANICKER
• SUNG -FISHER
FOLKS
OTTAMTHULLAL
KUNCHAN NAMBIYAR PAINTED OR
AMBALAPUZHA TEMPLE. APPLIED
MURAL DIRECTLY ON A
PAINTING WALL
 CHETTIKULANGARA BHARANI
JANUARY- FEBRUARY
RITUALSKUTHIYOTTAM'
-
'KETTUKAZCHA'.
MAVELIKKARA

SHRI KRISHNA
MARCH - APRIL
TEMPLE
AMBALAPUZHA

PADANILAM
PARABRAHMA
DECEMBER
TEMPLE

PADANILAM SIVARATHRI
MAVELIKKARA
 CHIRAPPU
MAHOTSAVAM‘
MULLACKAL TEMPLE
DECEMBER 'SHIVELI'

DECEMBER -
JANUARY
ANNUAL BEACH FEST

NOVEMBER VRISCHIKAM’
- DECEMBER (NOVEMBER/DECEMB
ER)
CHAKKULATHUKAVU
SRI
BHAGAVATHI TEMPLE
 The Commercial Canal - Cultural Activity Zone

 The Vadai Canal – Cultural information Zone

 The Commercial Canal

Boating
Shops
Kiosk open dining
Tree Courts
Viewing deck
Children's Play Zone
Board walk and Tree house
Seating specialties
Laser Show
Water fall and fountain
The Vadai Canal – Cultural information Zone

Mural walls (Cultural information )

Statue
Heritage walll
Ornamental Pillar
Group Sculptures with story
Boat Sculptures
Sculptural Court
 CLOTHING

MEN -
KERALAITE ‘LUNGI’
WOMEN -
WEAR TYPICAL WHITE WITH SAREE
BORDERED SAREE DURING FESTIVE
OCCASIONS
DRESSED IN PRINTED DHOTHIES AND
BRIGHT-COLOURED BLOUSES.

FOOD
TASTE THE KERALA DELICACY, PALPAYASAM
SEA FOODS –

KARIMEEN, NEYMEEN , AND

CHEMMEEN,PRAWNS LOBSTER
etc..
 OCCUPATION

Fishing TODDY
TAPPING
 ECONOMY
THE ECONOMY OF THE DISTRICT IS BASED -

AGRICULTURE AND MARINE PRODUCTS

TRADITIONAL INDUSTRIES BASED ON COIR AND COIR
PRODUCTS MARINE PRODUCTS
HANDLOOMS
TODDY TAPPING
Heritage
Heritage is the manifestation of our rich culture of the past. It reflects the life
style of people, architecture, evolution of construction techniques and art
forms along with the physical, social, and economic changes in the society.
Heritage resources as can be seen in and around the town are mostly built
around canals. But the churches are mostly found near the beaches, backwaters
and canals

Heritage Resources of Alappuzha include:

1. Manmade Heritage
2. Natural Heritage.

MANMADE HERITAGE INCLUDES

TEMPLES, CHURCHES, MOSQUES,
TRADITIONAL RESIDENTIAL
BUILDINGS, STREETS, OLD
COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS,
WAREHOUSES, HISTORIC PUBLIC
BUILDINGS, MARKET AREAS, PALACES,
PONDS, CANALS, PUBLIC OPEN
SPACES.
NATURAL HERITAGE INCLUDES WATER
Temples

The temples of Alappuzha are built mostly on Dravidian style of architecture with 45
degree pitched roof, namaskara mandapas and sanctum sanctorum.
Some of the more important temples in the town are
Mullackal Temple
Kalarkode Mahadeva Temple
Old Thirumala temple
New Thirumala Temple
Jain Temple
Mullackal Sri.Raja Rajeshwary Temple is the most impotant and ancient temple in
Alappuzha town. The temple complex was palace of Chempakassery Raja.
This is a Heritage grade II building
Sri.Mahadeva Temple Kalarkode is the most important Siva temple in
Alappuzha.This is a Heritage grade II building.

New Thirumala Temple was established in 1852.

Jain temple was built by Jains 400 years ago. It is the only Jain temple in
Travancore.
In early 90s the temple was renovated and covered with marbles. This is a
Heritage grade II building.
Churches

CSI Church
Our lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral
Thumboli St. Thomas Church
St. Holy cross Forane church
St. George church
St. Joseph Church & Girls College
St. Xavier Church
St. Sebastian Church
Bishop’s House & Church

CSI Church is the first Anglo Indian Church in Kerala, started in 1820, by Fr.
Thomas Norton, a British native. He died in 1840 and was buried here. There is a bell
in the church, brought from England. Many foreigners are buried here. This is a
Heritage grade II building.
Mosques

Padinjare Shafi Muslim Jama Ath

Shoukker Masjid

Padinjare Shafi Muslim Jama Ath is 156 years old, built on 6 pillars with an area of
3000 sq.ft, in a plot of area 3.86 acres. The mosque is in traditional vernacular style.
It is one of the two old mosques in Alappuzha. This mosque is heritage grade II
building.

Shoukker Masjid is constructed in 1109 M.E. started

by Muslim business man for worship. The mosque
faces the canals, as in olden days the main means of
transport were waterways. The building comes under
heritage grade II buildings.
Canals

Commercial Canal
Vadai Canal
Link Canal

The Town was built around the Two canals, Viz. Vadai canal And commercial
canal.
The banks of the Canals being lined with old merchant houses, godowns, open
court yards and residences and places of worship in traditional style and
Architecture.
All these stands as an embodiment of the cultural heritage of the Town. Most of
these old buildings are of great and varied character with strong unity and cohesion.
The varied individual charm and distinctive unity of these buildings make it a
special and unique canal side Architecture.
Most of these buildings are located on either side of commercial canal from
Chungom to Beach.
A layer of buildings on either side of Commercial canal is considered as
Heritage Zone to protect and conserve these Architectural features for the future.
Other historic structures
Aspinwall & Co
Leo XIII Higher Secondary School
The New Model Coir Mats & Mattings
SP Office
Vallabhdas Kanchi
Tripple Bridge
Lighthouse built in 1862 by Hugh Crawford, a European Engineer
Iron pier (1880-81) built in 1962 when Alappuzha Port came into existence
Darragh Market
New Market
Alappuzha (or Alleppey) is a city on the Laccadive Sea in
the southern Indian state of Kerala
Alappuzha
GEOGRAPHY climate

Annual maximum mean temperature - 30.6 C

Annual minimum mean temperature - 24.1 C
MAIN WATER WAY
ECOLOGICAL
CONTEXT
Pressure – 1012.08 hpa The climate is moist and hot in the coast and
Visibility – 4 kms
Heat index – 29 degree slightly cool and dry in the interior of the district. The
Dewpoint – 21 degrees
Humidity – 70 pecent
average monthly temperature is 25 degrees.
The district also gets the benefit of two outstanding
monsoons as in the case of other parts of the state.
South-west monsoon (Edavappathi) - June to
September
North-east monsoon (Thulavarsham) - October to
November
Reasons for tourism and major
Ecological Features- backwaters ,beaches
,canals ,coconut grooves , paddy fields

• The groundwater from Alappuzha

coastal stretch is found to be safe and
suitable for drinking purposes
• The majority of groundwater sources
belong to medium salinity -low sodium
water, which can be used for irrigation
on all types of soil without danger of
exchangeable sodium.
• Groundwater is immensely important to
meet the human needs in the coastal
areas of Alappuzha district.
 • The canal system was implemented by Divan Keshavadas.
• He had a futuristic vision in the development of Alappuzha hence he decided to
improve the canal side by planting more trees.
• The plantation of more trees helped in developing the canal sides more user friendly.

MANGROOVES – spread over

allepey and a significant part
f nature

Hot season - March to May

Dry weather - December to February
The district has 8 reporting rain gauge stations at Arookutty, Cherthala,
Alappuzha, Ambalapuzha, Harippad, Kayamkulam, Mavelikkara and
Chengannur as recorded in 1989.
The average rainfall in the district is 2763 mm.
* The commercial canal in present stage is filled with water hyacinth.
• Major fishes like kaari ,varal ,pallathi etc were common fishes in the canal now they all have migrated.
• the main vegetation area of alappuzha town is along the canal side .
• commonly found trees along canal sides are - RAIN TREE
- ACCASIA
- GULMOHAR
- BANAYIAN TREE
- MANGO TREE
• major vegetation along the canal are teak ,tamarind ,urakkam thungi.
• Major crops grown are tuber crops , teak , coconut , paddy.

As there is no forest area, there is no ‘Mild Fauna’ in the

district, but the migratory birds appear at
seasons. The whole of the Vembanad portions and areas
like Noornad attract migratory birds every year.
The presence of migratory birds is much significant at
Noornad during the period from July to November.
The number of migratory birds visiting Noornad during this
season may be larger than the bird population
of any other bird sanctuary of the State
DISASTERS

* Flood – gradual occurrence

mitigation measures shall be
taken in months june and,july).

* Drought – not very intense to

affect their livelihood in months
of March, April, and May

* Coastal Erosion – prominent in

kuttanad region
1. Nutrient accumulation and pesticide pollution due to excessive use of fertilizers and
pesticides for growing high yielding varieties of rice.
2. Explosive growth of noxious aquatic weeds Salvinia , Eichhornia, Pistia and a large
number of other invasive plants.
3. Drastic reduction of fish production and increased rate of fish diseases and fish killings.
4. Reduction in plankton, benthic fauna and native shell, fish and prawn yields.
5. Increased occurrence of water-borne diseases such as filariasis, schistomiasis, cholera,
typhoid, jaundice, gastroenteritis and dysentery and recently the leptospirosis (Unni et al.
1997).
6. Reduction of wetland diversity due to the invasion of exotic weeds. A few dominant
weeds are occupying most of the water surface.
7. Reduced flow rate in rivers due to interlocking of weeds and impoundment of large
volume of water by the construction of dams in their catchments.
8. Blocking of canals and lakes due to accumulation of weeds impaired the inland water
transport.
9. Pollution of Vembanad Lake, rivers, canals and even the dug wells of Kuttanad.
Depletion of quality of water in the rivers, lakes, canals and wells of Kuttanad is much
severe in summer.
10. Illegal sand mining from the rivers affecting the flow of water to the lake.
11. Increased tourism activity in the lake, particularly, water sports and boating lead to water
pollution.
12. Accumulation of liquid and solid waste into the lake due to higher population density –
 IMPORTANCE OF VEMBANAD LAKE
• The Vembanad Lake is bordered by Alappuzha (Alleppey), Kottayam and Ernakulam
districts of Kerala covering an area of about 200 sq km and extending 80 km in a NW-
SE direction.
• The width of the lake varies from 500 m to 4 km and the depth from <1m to 12m.
• Manimala, Meenachil, Pamba and Achenkovil flow into the lake south of
Thanneermukkom and Muvattupuzha .
The lake has got a freshwater dominant
southern zone and a salt water dominant
northern zone, both separated by a bund at
Thanneermukkom, where the lake has its
minimum width.
The bund was constructed in 1975 to prevent
salt water intrusion and to promote double
cropping of paddy in about 55,000 ha of low
lying fields in the area (Padasekharams).
LOCATION MAP OF VEMBANAD LAKE SYSTEM
• consist of 194 species of phytoplankton and 135
species of zooplankton

• Diatoms and Copepods are the dominant groups

among the phytoplankton and zooplankton
community respectively.

• The major aquatic plants present in this lake include

Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) and Salvinia
molesta (giant salvinia, kariba weed) which are
widely distributed and are a threat to the ecosystem.

• Small isolated patches of mangrove vegetation are

present at Kumarakom, Vypeen, Kannamali and
Chettuva regions of this estuary.
ECONOMICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Navigation - Recently, an international container trans-shipment terminal facility
is being developed at Vallarpadam, described as a milestone in infrastructure
development logistics.

Tourism - network of water bodies fringed by lush green coconut groves and paddy fields,; water sports like the famous snake-boat
race and the calm and pleasant environment with boating facilities makes Vembanad Lake one of the top 50 destinations on the
global tourism map. This helps the flourishing tourism industry in Kumarakom, Alappuzha and Kochi region and also provides
employmentopportunities.

Fisheries - Lake production per year consists of 5000 tonnes of fish and almost same quantity of prawns, and 300-400 tonnes of giant
fresh water prawn. Over fishing, use of banned fishing gears and massive reclamation has resulted in the decline of the fishing area
and has also affected the productivity of fishing grounds

Clam Mining -Clams are widely distributed and form vast deposits between the
Pathiramanal Island and Vaikom region. Clam meat forms a cheap
protein source for the poor people of this locality. There is a decline in clam
shell production and landing from 2500 tonnes to 1300 tonnes

Coir Industry - About 0.35 million workers mainly from socially and economically
backward communities in this region depend on the coir cottage industry.
It is important in Kerala’s economy and accounts for
70% production of the coir products in India.
 !

FLORA AND FAUNA !

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ALAPPUZHA COVERS

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46.71Sqm of the total area

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29.69 sqm 10.45sqm

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47 23 15 !

48
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developed Sqm,area is kuttanad ,
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43 24 14

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area padashekharam (paddy fields)

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8
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33
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34 32 13

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water bodies
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36 31
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37 12

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30 27
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vegetation
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Area under cultivation
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NH

SH • Agricultural land covers only 17.56% of municipal area

AGRICULTURE
RAILWAY
• Paddy is the major crop
DRY AGRICULTURE • Paddy cultivation along covers about 15.6% of the total land area
PADDY

WARD
! !
!

! ! MUNICIPAL BOUNDARY
!
IMPORTANT CROP AND
PRODUCTION

PADDY FIELD BELOW MARINE SEALEVE

flora & fauna
TREES
coconut FAUNA
mango STOCK
raintree MOSTLY FISHES
mahagony SEEN CLAM SHELLS
teak ALONG THE INDIAN SHAGS
acacia CANALS MIGRATORY BIRDS
LIVE STOCK POPULATION

TEMPORAL VARIATION IN NUMBER OF LIFE STOCK

POULTRY POPULATION

TEMPORAL VARIATION IN NUMBER OF POULTRY

2410

fowl
duck
11360
WATER

Depth to water level during pre-monsoon is 0.72 to 12.49 bgl and

during post monsoon is 0.08 to 6.30 bgl

Major chemical constituents are within the permissible limits but

Fluoride is found excess in certain tube wells

IRRIGATION (in ha)

2011

6503 2574 CANAL

TANK
WELL

Source : census 2011

 10 m depth 3 m depth

8 – 10 m wide
30 – 35 m wide

Main canal Sub canal

No major irrigation projects. 19 km in south west part is benefitted by

Pampa minor irrigation project
60

50

40
treated tap water

30 untreated tap water

covered well
un-covered well
20
tube well
river/canal
10
pond/lake

Source : census 2011

VEGETATION
Agriculture land covers 17.56% of the total land area. In Alappuzha
municipality the major agricultural crop is Paddy, which covers about
15.46% of the total land area. Other major crop is coconut. As per the
socio economic survey conducted the average land holding is less than
10 cents. Agriculture produces are mostly imported to the town from Tamil
Nadu.
1500

1000
area under
agriculture
500
1993

2010
0

Majority of the workers are entering into tertiary sectors making

agriculture production uneconomical due to unavailability of laborers. The
infrastructure facilities are also not commensurate with the area under
cultivation.
 WIND SPEED

HIGH IN MAY – 9km/hr (min 4km/hr- max 14km/hr)

https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/forecast/modelclimate/alappuzha_india_1278985
WIND ROSE

MORE FROM
THE WEST
SIDE.
TIDE
• Alappuzha experiences semi diurnal tides.

Tidal level with respect to chart datum as per naval Hydrographical chart No.2035
WAVES
• MORE or LESS PARALLEL- ROUGH SEASON. EFFECT OF
REFRACTION WILL BE SMALLER.
• LARGE PERIOD WAVES WERE OBSERVED COMING FROM 255ON
DURING BOTH SEASONS AND HIGH WAVES WITH SMALL PERIODS
WERE MORE OR LESS PARALLEL TO THE SHORE.
• ROUGH SEASON – May – Oct
• FAIR SEASON – Nov – Apr
• The maximum wave breaking height
• each year was around 2.9 to 3.3m.
• The braking wave height increases
• from April to June to reach maximum
• and start decreasing from August.

As per review by T.S. Shahul Hameed on wave data recorded from 3rd July 1980 to
31st December 1984 (Chapter 4, OCEAN WAVES AND BEACH PROCESS,1988)
NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE
Alappuzha is known as the ‘Venice of the east.’ It is an important tourist
destination in India. Alappuzha is the access point for famous Nehru
Trophy Boat race. Mullackal chirapu is also one of the attractions of
Alappuzha which is the festive season held for ten days.
National highway 66, one of the
longest highway in India passes
through Alappuzha connecting
Panvel to Kanyakumari.

National water way 3 passes

through Alappuzha connecting
Kollam – Kottapuram. It is a
168 Km stretch of inland
navigation route. The route was
extended to Kozhikode in 2015.
TOURISM

INDIA
AGRI-
TOURISM
KERALA

CULTURE HEALTH
ALAPPUZHA TOURISM TOURISM

HERITAGE PILGRIMAGE ECO- ADVENTURE

TOURISM TOURISM TOURISM TOURISM

 India is one of the major South-Asian tourist

destinations.
 Tourism sector of india contribute a major part to the
• In the last 10 years, visits by domestic tourists have increased at a faster pace.
• The share of India in international tourist arrivals has progressively increased from 0.46%
in 2004 to 0.52%
in 2006 and 0.55%
in 2009.19
• Tourism makes a significant contribution to India’s foreign exchange earnings,
which grew from US $ 6.17 billion (Rs. 27944 crores) in 2004 to an estimated US$ 11.96
billion (Rs. 49413 crores) in 2009.
• The share of India in world earnings from tourism
registered an increase from 0.98 per cent in 2004 to 1.21 per cent in 2009.20
KERALA ECO TOURISM BACK WATERS

• Tourism traffic to Kerala shows an increasing trend over the past few years.

• The Kerala Tourism is witnessing an enviable advantage in tourist arrivals during the
year and the number shows an increase of 16.11 per cent over the previous year.

• 1990s the state had a financial crisis that affected almost all the state-sponsored
developmental activities,but it the tourism sector that enabled enabled the state to
come out of the crisis and improve the economic position.

contribution of kerala during these last years

foreign tourist arrivals 11.6 per cent to the total foreign

arrival in India

domestic tourists arrivals 14.28 per cent increase in past years

 the foreign exchange earnings during The total revenue generated from tourism
the year 2009 is Rs. 3066.52 crores which comes to Rs 13130 crore, showing an increase
recorded a growth of 16.11 per cent over of 14.84 per cent over the last year and the tourism
the previous year. contribution to State’s GDP is 7.70 per cent.

KERALA is fondly referred to as 'God's Own

Country'.

ALLEPPEY, also known as "THE VENICE OF

EAST"
• is one of the best attractions of Kerala
• this place is well known for its natural beauty Alleppey
is strongly connected by waterways to various other
parts of Kerala
 BEACH
TOURISM

BACKWATER
TOURISM ALAPPUZH
A
KUTTANAD
CANAL
TOURISM
NATURAL MAN-MADE

KUTTANAD VIJAY PARK

BACKWATERS KRISHNAPURAM
- PALACE
VEMBANAND
LAKE KARUMUDI VILLAGE

BEACH TEMPLES

PATHIRAMANA CHURCHES
L
MOSQUES
PANDAVAN
ROCK
RESIDENTIAL TYPOLOGY
2500

2000

1500

1000

500 Area (Ha) 1993

0 Area (Ha) 2010

Pucca residential area[less than 25 cents]

Residential cum agricultural area[25 cents-50 cents]
Residential areas with predominance in agricultural
activity [ 50 cents – 70 cents)
Residential area with fully agricultural area [above 70
cents]
In Alappuzha Municipality 27% of the residential
land is below 10 cents.

Categorisation of residential landuse

by average plot size Percentage of Categorisation of residential
landuse
 Mixed use of trade
and commercial
Laterite and lime activity
plaster are the main On ground floor
building material and residential on
used. Roofing is done first floor
with manglore tiles.
Independent houses Agraharams / Haveli
with work places
Konkani Settlement
Buildings are oriented in a radial pattern radiating outwards from the temple.
The temple is given a central hierachy and act as a landmark.
Fine grain uneven texture.
Tourism shift has resulted in many buildings being used now as home stays.
Most of the buildings have sloping roof.
Fishermen Settlement
Local vernacular architecture characterised by thatched roof with occasional flat
roofs.
Single storied construction
Gujarati Settlement
Colonial style building with traditional character.
Buildings are typicaly 1-2 storeys high.
Inward arrangement of buildings opening to courtyards.
The Alappuzha district as a whole is considered to be educationally forward.
The literacy rate of Alappuzha municipality is 93.87% as per census 2001 which is
greater than the literacy rate of Alappuzha district, which is 93.43%.
The literacy rate of Cherthala, Chengannur and Mavelikkara municipalities are
higher than that of Alappuzha municipality.
In Alappuzha municipality the male literacy rate is 96.6% and female literacy rate
is 91.35%.

As per socio economic survey, 39% of the people are having high school level
education. 2% of peopleare post graduates, 2% have professional education
and 3% are technical hands
There are 61 schools in Alappuzha municipality, in which 32 are Primary, 16
are High Schools, 12 are Higher secondary schools and 1 is Vocational higher
secondary school.

Number of schools in alappuzha town. Number of schools in various category.

There are total 19 schools under government ownership, 34 schools are

aided and 8 are unaided.

No.of teachers in each category

 100

6 1 Available
50 38 33
55 60 61 60 Not Available
23 28
0 1
0
Play ground Separate Computer lab Internet Water Connectivity
toilets for girl availability with
students motorable
road

Infrastructure facilities available in

schools.
SOME OF THE FAMOUS SCHOOLS:
LEO XII ENGLISH MEDIUM SCHOOL
SDV HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL
BRIGHTLAND DISCOVERY SCHOOL
LUTHERAN HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL
BELIEVERS CHURCH HIGHER SECONDARY
SCHOOL
MATHA SCHOOL
ST.MARY’S RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL
BISHOP MOORE VIDYAPITH
CARMEL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
NAIR SAMAJAM HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL
Colleges
There are 5 Arts and Science college in the urban area of which 2 are located in
Alappuzha muncipality and one each in Chengannur,Kayamkulam and
Mavelikkara muncipalities.
There is a Medical College at Alappuzha and a Model Engineering College at
Chengannur.
ST.JOSEPH’S COLLEGE FOR WOMEN [1954]
S.D.COLLEGE , ALAPPUZHA [1946]
N.S.S COLLEGE , CHERTHALA[1964]
ST.MICHEL’S COLLEGE , CHERTHALA [1967]
S.N.COLLEGE,CHERTHALA[1964
CHRISTIAN COLLEGE,CHENGANNUR[1964]
SREE AYYAPPA COLLEGE
,ERAMALLIKKARA[1995]
T.K.M.M.COLLEGE,NANGIARKULANGARA[19
64]
BISHOP MOORE
COLLEGE,MAVELIKKARA[1964]
MSM COLLEGE ,KAYAMKULAM[1964]
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING , PULICUNNU
[1999]
Major educational GOVERNMENT COLLEGE OF
institutions in the Town ENGINEERING,CHENGANNUR [ 1993]
T.D.MEDICAL COLLEGE , ALAPPUZHA [1963]
PEET MEMORIAL TRAINING
Medical
There are 11 government hospitals and 4 private hospitals in Alappuzha
municipality. Government hospitals include W & C near beach, General Hospital,
District TB centre near medical college jn, MCH PP unit, District Ayurveda
Hospital near Vellakinar, Panchakarma near Kalarcode, Govt Homeo Hospital at
Kaichoondy junction etc.
There are 8 allopathic health institutions, 6 ayurvedic ins the municipality.
Among the allopathic medical institutions, there is only one hospital under private
ownership.
There are 6 institutions practicing Ayurvedic system of medicine. District
Ayurveda hospital at Vellakkinar, Panchakarma at Kalarcode and ANO- Rectal
clinic near Vellakkinar is under government ownership. AVP Ayurveda Pharmacy
at Pazhaveedu, Govinda Vilasom Arya vaidya Pharmacy at Mullackal and AVP
Ayurveda Pharmacy Near Alukkas jewelers are under private ownership.

Hospital Doctors

Private Govern Private Govern

50% ment 46% ment
50% 54%

Details of hospitals & doctors in ayurvedic hospitals

Healthcare institutions in the Town

Distance to Hospital Distance to Health Facility

greater
greater
than 5
than 5 km
km
less 4%
9% less than
than 5
km 5 km
91% 96%
 11.61
12
10
8
6
2.23
4
0.07 0.21 0.42 0.14 0.09 0.09
2
0

Percentage of houses diagnosed with

diseases within last five years.

Major problem in the health sector is the

insufficiency of facilities in the hospital.
There are no super specialty hospitals in
municipality. The only hospital having
facility like CT scan and ECG is in private
sector. Though the number of general
hospitals and intermediate hospitals is
adequate to meet the needs of the present
population
AGRICULTURAL CONTEXT

•Allapuzha is the second producer of

rice after Palakkad.
•About 18.7% of the total paddy area in
Kerala is in Alapuzha.
•Other crops include
tapioca,coconut,and other tuber crops.

Agricultural land use

Net sown •The gross cropped area of

28% area -105 hectares

Area sown •net sown area -86 hectares

72% more than
once •area sown more than once
-19 hectares
PADDY
CULTIVATION POKKALI CULTIVATION
PATTERN The rice is cultivated from
June to early November
when the salinity level of
the water in the fields is
low. From mid-November
to mid-April, when the
salinity is high.

KAYAL CULTIVATION

Large farming areas

near Vembanad Lake
were reclaimed from the
lake. In earlier times, the
reclamation was done
mainly from the shallow
part of the Vembanad
Lake or from the
periphery of river
Pamba.
 CONTRIBUTION OF
AGRICULTURAL SECTOR TO GSDP
60
50
40
30 CONTRIBUTION
OF
20
AGRICULTURAL
10 SECTOR TO
0 GSDP
1960 2013

REASONS FOR THE DECLINE IN CONTRIBUTION ??

•Land utilization act (1969)
• Land reformation act(1970)
• Opposition of communist party in adoption of machineries in the fields.
•Increase in wages of agricultural workers
•Conservation of paddy and wetland act
INDUSTRIAL
CONTEXT
Sea food processing industry

There are lots of sea food

processing and seasoning
industries in cherthala,
arror,arrookutty region of
allapuzha district

Coir manufacturing
industry
The coir manufacturing
industry is concentrated
mainly along the
allapuzha,karthikapally,ambal
apuzha region
COIR MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
• Coir manufacturing industry is in the verge of extinction due to;
• Kerala coconut husk control order
• Protest by workers to increase the wage
• Policies of political parties not to encourage use of machineries
• Unavailability of resources

• Decline of the coir manufacturing industry led to the decline of many a ancillary activities
that include Dye and chemical manufacturing industries ,mat making industry etc
LIME INDUSTRY

• Deposits of clam shells are present in the Vembanad Lake between Pathiramanal and Vaikom.
• The floor of vembanad kayal is rich with clams. These shells are brought in boat and burned to
make lime.
• Quality of lime from Alleppey was quite famous.
• But with time cement replaced lime as a building material.

• BUT NOW VEMBANAD LAKE IS FACING ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS due to large scale dredging
conducted by the public-sector Travancore Cements Limited over nearly 30 years.
RELIGIOUS CONTEXT
Comparison of the religious population of Alapuzha to
Kerala

80
70
60
50 hindu
40 christian
30 muslim
20 others
10
0
Kerala Allapuzha

Alapuzha have a larger Hindu population when compared to other

districts.
IMPORTANT RELIGIOUS
BUILDINGS IN
ALLAPUZHA
HINDUISM
The larger population of allapuzha
belongs to the hindu community.
There are many important temples
in Allapuzha district.

ISLAM

The muslim community is

expanding in the population.
When allapuzha developed as a
trade capital merchants from
malabar migrated to allapuzha
They built mosques using the local
craftmanship.The mosque thus built
include masthan masjid padinjare
shafi masjid.
CHRISTIANITY

One of the seven church that was

established by St.Thomas ,one of the
12 apostles of Jesus was in
Kokkamangalam.
The Portuguese converted the
Christians into Catholics.

JAINISM

There is a small population of jain

community.
When the diwan brought the
Gujarat's for trade they brought
there religion with them and even
built a jain temple at allapuzha.
CURRENT EVENTS

The bishop house opens to Ghar vapasi-8 out of 9 families was

the muslim for the prayers. from allapuzha.