The road to Dandangi village in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh would lead to paddy, maize, and cotton fields. Till June. Now it just abruptly disappears into the backwaters, created by the cofferdam built last year for the construction of the Polavaram dam on the Godavari. A cofferdam is a temporary watertight enclosure built to expose the bed of a waterbody for the construction of a permanent structure and causes water to spill along the river bank on either sides.
An hour-long boat ride along the length of the river through the backwaters, and crossing one submerged village after another, leads to two parked tourist boats completely cut-off from the mainland.
The boat house five families left after the village was evacuated. “Can you see the half-submerged houses by the bank? That was our village,” says 45-year-old Polama Kundu, a resident of the now evacuated Devipatnam village in East Godavari. It had over 1,300 families, many of whom were engaged in fishing.
In mid-2020, most of the families were allocated houses in rehabilitation colonies in the district, but none of them shifted because the colonies were too far from the river, some as much as 60 km. In May this year, the district administration ordered immediate evacuation over fears that the village would get submerged during the monsoon.
Denne historien er fra December 01, 2021-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December 01, 2021-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Trade On Emissions
EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a tariff on imports, is designed to protect European industries in the guise of climate action.
'The project will facilitate physical and cultural decimation of indigenous people'
The Great Nicobar Project has all the hallmarks of a disaster-seismic, ecological, human. Why did it get the go-ahead?
TASTE IT RED
Popularity of Karnataka's red jackfruit shows how biodiversity can be conserved by ensuring that communities benefit from it
MANY MYTHS OF CHIPKO
Misconceptions about the Chipko movement have overshadowed its true objectives.
The politics and economics of mpox
Africa's mpox epidemic stems from delayed responses, neglect of its health risks and the stark vaccine apartheid
Emerging risks
Even as the world gets set to eliminate substances threatening the ozone layer, climate change and space advancement pose new challenges.
JOINING THE CARBON CLUB
India's carbon market will soon be a reality, but will it fulfil its aim of reducing emissions? A report by PARTH KUMAR and MANAS AGRAWAL
Turn a new leaf
Scientists join hands to predict climate future of India's tropical forests
Festering troubles
The Democratic Republic of Congo struggles to contain mpox amid vaccine delays, conflict and fragile healthcare.
India sees unusual monsoon patterns
THE 2024 southwest monsoon has, between June 1 and September 1, led to excess rainfall in western and southern states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, while others like Nagaland, Manipur and Punjab recorded a deficit.