A village resurrected

By C Jamsheel.

It had been raining for the last three days. This was not the first time the inhabitants of Kodipunjuvalasa, a village in Northern Andhra had seen a shower of this magnitude. The scene was not unfamiliar, but the tribes of the village knew there was something bad coming their way. On the wee hours of August 4, 2006 the villagers lost everything when the nature showed its face of fury. Most huts were uprooted along with trees and earth when the flowing water consumed everything on its way.

The hill located behind the tiny huts was partially destroyed due to the heavy rain. The rain and flowing water resulted in a landslide eaten away, killing 20 people. Tanks and canals were infringed, resulting in crop loss, and roads were smashed. This dark day has not faded away from the minds of the people here.

“You will never be able to imagine what we went through that day. Big boulders came down, the mud and sand flowed through our fields and some beloved, smiling faces too were washed away,” T Madhu, a farmer from the hamlet wiping his tears. The district administration had acted swiftly and did its best to reduce the damage to life and property. “We were not able to do anything at that time. If we didn’t get the help from the authority and kind hearted people the loss might have been greater”, he added

“The torrential rain not only smashed our huts and took the lives of our beloved ones, but it also wiped out our livelihood. The soil is not useful for cultivation anymore as the land became infertile. We were forced to shift our livelihood to that of a coolie”, rued Janimoddu, an inhabitant of Kodipunjuvalasa.

The tribals had demanded for five lakhs rupees as damages for the families, who lost their beloved ones in the mudslide. The reparation had rightful reason as it was to build their village from scratch. But the government addressed the demands partially.

“Former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajashekara Reddy visited us and announced an ex-gratia of three lakhs to each family, who lost their life in the heavy rain. All victims of the landslide got 95,000 rupees compensation from the government. The compensation includes Rs. 35,000 for construction of houses and Rs. 60,000 for buying livestock.” said Bheemanna, an inhabitant of Kodipujuvalasa village.

The people here hold no grudge against nature for it has always been their provider. They are happy with their present occupation. Their other thought is to put their infertile land to good use. “How can we curse others for our fate, it was really a challenge for us to recover from the untoward incident. But we had to get out from those bad memories as no one will fill our kids’ stomach,” Janirambha, a mother of three, speaking with determination in her eyes. “And life goes on; we shared our pain and worked hard to re build our community burying any differences. It took us around two years to get back on our feet” she added.

This is not a tale but it is a real story of Kodipunjuvalasa tribal village of Araku Mandal in the Vishakapatanam district. How the people of this village overcame this disaster is a symbol of strong will, determination and hard work.