Uncertainty of the Adivasis of Venniyode Tribal Colony, Wayanad
Wayanad has the largest population of Adivasis in Kerala. According to the 2011 Census, Adivasis constitute 18.5% of the district’s population. Of them, Paniyas are the largest tribe comprising 45.6% of the Adivasi population, followed by Kurichiyas (16.6%), Kurumas (13.8%) and Kattunayakas (11.2%). Each tribe lives in separate settlements.
The heavy southwest monsoon of 2018 caused the worst flooding across Kerala in decades. As many as 322 people died in monsoon-related incidents. Besides flooding, Wayanad has seen 242 incidents of landslides and land subsidence since the start of the monsoon. These twin hazards threaten Adivasi settlements in the district. While landslides are defined as the movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope, land subsidence is a phenomenon in which land sinks or settles because of loss in sub-surface support. The district administration has pegged the losses due to floods (2018) and landslides at Rs 1,400 crore.
The Adivasi colony is located on a low-lying area on the banks of the Cherupuzha, a tributary of the Kabini river. Every monsoon, the river breaches its banks and inundates the colony.
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