In Koduvally panchayat, deep underwater pits in the Cherupuzha river caused by years of indiscriminate sand-mining have led to drowning deaths, near-fatal accidents and an act of heroism by a 10-year-old boy.
Now, villagers have to choose between saving their children’s lives and offending neighbours and friends who are the sand mafia.
On May 5, two boys, Fayiz M.P. and and Furaiz P.C., aged 10 and 11, respectively, waded into the river from Thottinkadavu, where the water is knee-deep, to catch small fish in a towel.
Suddenly, Furaiz, who did not know how to swim, disappeared under the water. Fayiz jumped in and managed to pull his friend to safety.
What lay beneath the boys under the water was a ‘dark, dark, hole’, their families said. The hole was not there the previous day, they add.
But the pits claimed the life of Mithilaj, a 22-year-old construction worker from Thamarassery, who fell to his death at Veluthedathkadavu four months back. Assein K. also lost his eight-year-old son, Mohammed Siyabuddin, to a hole in the river at Kundathilkadavu.
“The mining is done at night. There is no way to know which part of the river mining has been done. But we have to look the other way because many come from poor families,” says a resident 0T. C. Kunhimoyin.
One truck-load of sand costs Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15,000. Hectic construction activities in the panchayat, situated 23 km away from Kozhikode city, ensure that sand is always in demand.
An awareness camp held by the Cherupuzha Samrakshana Samithi in December 2012 saw members face harsh questions from their own family and friends.
“They asked us, ‘You have built your houses from the sand we gave, now you turn against us,” Mohammed Noufal, samithi member and Assistant Professor of Commerce at Kodanchery Government College, said.
The samithi members, who are a minority, have to also deal with a well-networked mafia. “Once I lodged a complaint with the police, by the time I reached back, I got information that there were people looking for my car number,” Mr. Noufal said.
Shameem Vallikad, a gold businessman, narrates his exchange with the special cell formed by the District Collector to combat illegal sand mining. “They told that they don’t go out in the nights. They said raids are done in daytime,” he said.
But the people of Koduvally were not always so indecisive about challenging sand-mining. In 1989, they had joined hands to drive away the miners – who were working under the licences processed through the panchayat.
“In 1989-90, 200 truck loads of sand used to be taken everyday. The villagers faced acute water crisis. It was Ramzan time. After the afternoon prayers, every man, woman and child joined hands and took out a mass protest against the miners. The mining eventually shut down,” Siyali V., a veteran samithi member. Twenty-three years after the strike, today, many of the veterans of the 1989 mass protest nurture regret. “Now, we think the panchayat should get back the power to issue licences and auction sand. You see, today, the children of those who fought with us against the miners in 1989 are sand-miners themselves,” Moidu Haji said. “If the panchayat takes over, there will be no need for a second round of protests, friends can remain friends here,” he said.
