I have a question and an important one. Every question has a story behind it, so here it is before I come back to my question.

On the west coast of our country by the Arabian Sea lies Kochi, a calm and breathtakingly beautiful place. This was my second visit to the city, the first one being when I was five years old. I was left with a vague memory of the place, so I decided to explore Kochi in the real sense this time. The brilliant locations from the movies Dil Se, Raavan and the colourful snake boat race had left me wanting to visit the place.

In short, Kochi has everything to offer – the Athirapally waterfalls, the backwaters of Aleppey, the grand performances at Kerala Kathakali Centre, the temple of Krishna in Guruvayur and has one of the largest ports in India. Kerala tourism department ranked Kochi as the most desired location in the state in 2011. The panoramic view of the coast, the movement of big ships, the constant sound of waves hitting the bund, the ripples and the cool breeze were all amazing.

While I was lost in the beauty of the place, something disturbing caught my notice. Oil leaking from ships had left a rainbow like pattern on the surface of the sea. Plastic bottles, polythene bags and cigarette butts were also seen afloat.

No doubt, like any other coastal region anywhere in the world, water is the main source of income either directly or indirectly for the people in Kochi. Ferries keep plying between islands taking people and vehicles to their destinations day in and day out. One can see fishermen with their fishing arsenals, people with fishing poles standing at an old bridge or over a dozen offices renting out houseboats.

Isn't it mandatory for the government to keep the water clean or at least prevent people and the shipping moguls from polluting it? Besides, it also reflects our nonchalant attitude towards our environment.

Is it that difficult for the department concerned to carry out cleaning processes now and then? A clean area would attract more tourists.

I understand it is not an overnight process to educate locals and tourists not to litter but we should start somewhere or the day won’t be far when we see fish being taken out wrapped up in polythene bags.

I also spotted dolphins close to the port but they didn't look "healthy". I spotted patches on their body and upon enquiring a local I discovered it was some sort of infection due to the oil from ships.

But the casual approach with which the person said these words disturbed me. I have a question for the authorities in charge. Don't they think clean water would attract more tourists? And the sea creatures would also be safe.

Wouldn’t it make the environment better and benefit tourism in Kochi? That's the question one must ask. All of us must work towards ensuring that water remains clean. It is not the officials only who have to work in this direction. We must help the officials by being their allies, by guarding our habitat, by educating people on keeping the shore and the sea clean.

I'll finish this article in the hope that someday I can follow this up with another article, starting it with the line ‘My question has been answered’.