Where do People Live on Boats?

            We have heard of the people of Vietnam and Cambodia who sailed and lived on boats in the Hong Kong by for months together. We also know that tourists enjoy their holidays in houseboats whenever they find an opportunity to stay in them. But it is quite interesting to know that there are people in certain parts of the world, who reside in houseboats permanently. But why do they do so?

Houseboats in Kashmir

            According to economists, growth of population beyond a desirable limit often creates a major hindrance in the economic development of nation. The scarcity of development of nation. The scarcity of habitable land is another offshoot of the problem. The high-rising buildings or skyscrapers are the results of this scarcity of land. These solve the problem to a great extent by accommodating people within the available space. In some places, people build their houses on boats-either due to the non-availability of sufficient land or housing being too expensive.

            As per the available statistics and information, most of the boat-dwellers live in china, Japan and nearby islands. Many Chinese families spend their entire lives on boats-moored just off the overcrowded island of Hong Kong. They call these houseboats sampans, which are mostly seen along the river coast in china. Sampans have facilities inside to cook, eat, work and sleep. They have small cabins. The roofs of sampans are made of mat-type materials.

            Life in a houseboat is not easy and sometimes it is dangerous as well. Tropical storms and huge waves set off by earth quakes can destroy or sink such boats moored in shallow seas.

            In India, luxurious houseboats have been built on the Dal Lake in the Srinagar in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The great poet and noble laureated Rabindranath Tagore composed some of his famous poems on a houseboat moored on the River Padma, now in Bangladesh.