A tribal village gasps for survival

The once-flourishing Champakadu colony in Idukki is barren land now

The deserted buildings that housed a government offices at the Champakadu colony inside the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Idukki district.

It looks like a deserted village.

The Champakadu colony of the Hill Pulaya tribe on the banks of the Pambar in Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary holds evidence of the transformation of a once-rich tribal village where cultivation was taken up into barren land, with the people now surviving only on the ration doled out by the government.

“Fifty years ago, we produced essential items for our food. Now it has turned into barren land, and extreme heat makes cultivation impossible. Even if the land is irrigated, cultivation cannot be done as the water evaporates in the heat,” said an aged inhabitant of the village, Kovalan. A building that once housed the office and facility to irrigate the farmland is now abandoned. For a population of 278 villagers, there is a lower primary school, health centre and an office of the Integrated Tribal Development Programme (ITDP). The village is in a rain shadow region and one of the eight Hill Pulaya colonies in the sanctuary. It is a tribal settlement with no income of its own. For some families that rear cattle, it is a long journey each day to find grasslands for rearing.

“We used to produce everything here. Now it all comes from outside. The ration rice provided by the government is the main food item now,” he said. With no engagement, the people idle away their time. Some youth take up work provided by the Forest Department through the Eco Development Committees (EDCs).

“However, for most of us, it is not an option. If there is farming, others too can be engaged and we can generate income. Most of the families are without income,” said Arumugham, a tribesman who works as a tourist guide under the Forest Department.

In the past, there was government support for cultivation taken up by the Hill Pulayas of the Champakadu colony. However, farming activities were stopped owing to frequent attacks by wild animals.

Forest produce

“Before settling here, we depended on forest produce for a living. Now its availability has dwindled, making life more miserable,” said a villager.

“Returning to farming is an option. But there is little scope for it now, said Kovalan.