The Hindu : Tribals migrating to river valleys in search of water

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 18, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Tribals migrating to river valleys in search of water

By G. Prabhakaran

PALAKKAD, MARCH 17. Adivasis living in the deep forests of Attappady hills have started migrating to the valleys of Bhavani and Siruvani rivers in search of drinking water as the rivulets and streams in the hills have dried up in the severe drought.

Already a number of families belonging to the most primitive tribal groups of Kurumbas and Irulas from the Kadukumanna hamlet have come down to the Chindakki area through which a stream flows to the Bhavani. According to reports, tribals from the Vengakadavu hamlet also have started migrating to the valleys in search of water.

The 25,000-strong Adivasi population in Attappady were depending on the rivers of Siruvani, Bhavani, Varagar and Kodungarappallam for their drinking and irrigation needs. But due to the diversion of water by Tamil Nadu the Varagar and Kodungarappallam rivers had dried up long back. And now the Bhavani and Siruvani rivers have also dried up forcing the tribals to leave their traditional habitats. Now there is no flow of water through Bhavani beyond Chavadi.

The tribals of the area say that this is the first time in the recent times that these two rivers have got dried up completely resulting in acute drinking water shortage in Attappady.

The water crisis has also forced the authorities to close down the tribal students' hostels at Mulli, Kadampara and Kottiyarkandi in Attappady. This has made things difficult for hundreds of tribal students to continue their studies in the residential schools set up by the Government.

The tribals of Attappady who were living in the valleys of these east-flowing rivers were forced to leave their settlements by the influx of settlers and the encroachment of forests nearly five decades ago. But it is a paradox that now the migration has begun in reverse direction in search of water. Though hundreds of crores of rupees were spent for the development of tribals in Attappady over the years there was no major drinking water schemes in the area. This is said to be because the tribals mainly used only the flowing water of the streams and their belief prevented them from using the pond or well water. But now the rivulets and perennial streams all have dried up even in the deep forest areas like Anavai, Kadukumanna, Galazi, Chindakki, Thudukki etc.

An environmentalist of Attappady, Basheer Madala, told The Hindu that the reckless sand-mining that is going on in the rivers of Siruvani and Bhavani has resulted in the unprecedented drought in the area. The rivers of Kodungarappallam and Varagar dried up long back due to the diversion of their water and the excessive sand-mining. These were main reasons for the shortage of drinking water in the area, he said.

According to Mr. Basheer, for the whole Attappady area there was only one drinking water scheme, at Agali. He said the drinking water shortage was so acute in Attappady that now an estate in Varadimala which employed nearly 400 workers was bringing water from Tamil Nadu side to provide drinking water to its workers.

While the tribals living in the deep forests are forced to migrate to the riverbanks the Forest Department is busy clear-felling teak and other trees in the Upper Bhavani area destroying even the preserved trees on both sides of Bhavani river. A writ petition, filed by Mudha Mooppan, the 110-year-old tribal chief of Attappady, and the Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha leader, C.K. Janu, against clear-felling in a 500-hectare forest in the area is pending before the Kerala High Court.

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