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Heavy monsoon rains have cut off over 60 families from two tribal hamlets in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), following flooding in forest streams that feed the Gunderipallam reservoir in Gobichettipalayam taluk. With access roads washed away, residents remain stranded without essential services, and schoolchildren have been unable to attend classes for the past three weeks. Vilankombai, inhabited by 40 Urali tribal families under the Kongarpalayam Panchayat in T.N. Palayam block, lies seven kilometres inside the forest. The hamlet is reachable only by crossing four streams that overflow during the October–January monsoon season. With the streams in spate, movement has become impossible. Since the hamlet has no school, 18 children from the village study at the Panchayat Union Middle School in Vinoba Nagar, seven kilometres away, and 12 attend the Government High School in Kongarpalayam, about 10 kilometres away. Under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme, each student receives ₹1,300 a month for transport, paid to a private vehicle operator. “For the past three weeks, the vehicle hasn’t been operated as the streams are flooded. The children are stuck at home,” a parent said. Medical access and public distribution services have also been disrupted. Supplies have not reached the hamlets for weeks, forcing families to depend on limited provisions. Kembanur, located two kilometres from Vilankombai, and home to 20 tribal families, is facing the same plight. “Crossing forest streams is unsafe for children. Every monsoon, our lives come to a standstill,” a resident said. S.C. Natraj, director of the Sathyamangalam-based NGO, Service Unit for Development Activities in Rural (SUDAR), said students’ education and the community’s integration suffered every year. “The issue is recurring, and needs a long-term solution. Road connectivity is vital to bring them into the mainstream,” he said. In 2010, the Forest Department built four low-level causeways across the streams, but they were soon washed away by floods. Despite repeated appeals, repairs were not carried out. The recent downpour destroyed the remaining structures, completely severing access. V.P. Gunasekaran, State committee member of the Tamil Nadu Tribal People’s Association, told The Hindu that rebuilding the causeways would not suffice. “We are seeking a four-kilometre alternative road that requires only one bridge. It would provide direct access, and is the only lasting solution,” he said.
