Athirappilly tribes rise again; vow to block dam revival

# Ajayan | The guardians of the Athirappilly-Vazhachal forest range have risen once again in fierce defiance, rallying against the resurrection of the long-contested 163 MW Athirappilly hydroelectric project - a battle they thought they had won more than a decade ago. At a recent gathering, the leadership of the Vazhachal CFR Coordination Sangham - representing the nine tribal hamlets entrusted with the care of over 400 sq km of forest under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 - vowed to resist Kerala State Electricity Board’s (KSEB) latest move, renewing their pledge to defend the land they hold sacred.

The leadership has turned to the gramasabhas of all the nine tribal villages to convene and formally denounce what they describe as an illegal encroachment upon their rightful custodianship. Four villages have already passed strong resolutions opposing the move, with the rest expected to follow suit in the coming days, Mohanan, the Sangham president and urumoopan (village elder) of Malakkapara, told Metro Vaartha.

"The very first act we undertook after securing our rights in 2014 was to pass a resolution rejecting the hydel project that threatened to submerge vast stretches of our forest," recalled Geetha, the urumoopathi of Vazhachal, who had boldly taken the matter to Kerala High Court then. She spoke with quiet determination, crediting the words of eminent environmentalist Madhav Gadgil, who emphasized the power of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in standing up to the KSEB, as their guiding light. “We will resist this with every ounce of our strength,” she declared. “No project can rise on this land without our consent; we are its rightful custodians.”

While the KSEB statement mentions that the project will help tourism with a steady flow of water to the scenic Athirappilly waterfalls,

Ajitha, Sangham secretary for another term and urumoopathi of Pokalapara, voiced deep concern over the silence surrounding the environmental cost of the project. “Not a single word has been spoken about the land that will be swallowed by water if this dam is built,” she said. “Entire villages - Vazhachal and Pokalapara - will be lost beneath the reservoir. And what of the elephant corridor? This is the ancient migratory path from Munnar to Parambikulam and beyond. What of the hornbills, whose nesting grounds lie nestled in these forests? A forest takes centuries to rise; it is not just all about us or the trees or the animals; even the smallest microorganisms are part of this living, breathing ecosystem. But none of this seems to figure into the minds of those drawing lines on maps and planning such destruction,” she added.

Several members of the tribal community present at the gathering pointed out the presence of six dams already dotting the region; three in the neighbouring Parambikulam area and the rest within the Vazhachal range. Yet, these massive structures have brought little relief during the torrential monsoons, they noted. “Even the so-called streams here swell like rivers,” one elder remarked, recalling with anguish the harrowing days of the 2018 floods.

Ajitha, Sangham secretary Geetha, Vazhachal urumoopathi

Mohanan, recently re-elected as the Sangham president, emphasized that the Forest Rights Act conferred not just individual and community rights to the indigenous people of the region, but also the right to development and the solemn responsibility to protect their intellectual and cultural heritage. “We are the rightful custodians of this land - yet, we were never consulted,” he said with quiet indignation. “How can the KSEB even contemplate erecting a structure on land that legally belongs to us? It’s no different than me trying to build a house on my neighbour’s property; it’s plainly illegal.”

He also pointed to a mention in the KSEB note of using the Plantation Corporation land for tourism development. There are a large number of workers there. Even their livelihood will get affected. Moreover, the permission of the corporation, he learns, has also not been sought.

Mohanan, Sangham president

“Once all village meetings conclude, we will collectively chart our next course of action,” Mohanan affirmed. “But one thing is absolutely clear - no one else, but we alone have the authority to decide what happens on our land. What the KSEB is proposing is not just a violation of our rights, it is a blatant defiance of the very laws of the land. Our people have already endured the pain of displacement from past dam projects. This is no longer just about our suffering. It’s about defending the forests, the fragile ecology and the environment - all of which we are duty-bound to protect,” he added in a voice steady with resolve.