“Every year the sea is taking away our land. Many families have lost their livelihood due to the nature’s fury. If there is a major cyclone or calamity, the loss will be severe. We are living under constant fear,” said villagers of Chinna Gollapalem.
The island village, also known as Pallepalem, is the border village for Krishna and West Godavari districts and is the last hamlet along the coast in Kruthivennu mandal in Krishna district.
Soil erosion damaged cashew, casuarinas, pulses and other commercial crops in some thousands of acres. In just one year, about 10 acres of patta land got washed away into sea.
Everyday along the seashore a part of the land slides down due to high tides creating panic among locals.
“Chinna Gollapalem is the largest village, stretched nine km along sea in Pedana Assembly Constituency with about 14,000 population. The main occupation of people is agriculture and fishing. The village is surrounded by Yanamaduru drain, Upputeru canal and the Bay of Bengal”, said village panchayat president Koppineedi Hanumantha Rao.
“Ten years ago the ayacut in the village was 5,000 acres. Now the cultivable area has come down to 3,000 acres causing concern to villagers. Casuarinas and coconut plantations in some hundreds of acres were damaged along the coastline,” said Ramulu, a fisherman.
The government had taken up dredging thrice, but there was no use. “We request the government to find a permanent solution to the problem and save the village by constructing high-tide breakers,” Mr. Hanumantha Rao said.
