AHADS projects cut a sorry figure

K A Shaji, Attappady
The Hindu, May 11, 2017 

With the State government backtracking completely from initiating follow-up action to preserve its gains in areas of eco-restoration and tribal empowerment, the once celebrated Attappady Hill Area Development Society (AHADS) has turned into a complete wastage of public money. Lack of maintenance of the multi-crore projects it implemented, along with the prevailing drought and acute drinking water scarcity, are making life miserable for the common man.
The society, which had received an assistance of Rs. 219 crore from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), stopped functioning when the contract with the external agency was over three years ago. It was then the responsibility of the State government to initiate follow-up actions to preserve the achievements of the society, especially in revitalising the dried up water sources.
River dries up again
The 38-km Kodungarapallam, which had a rebirth because of the eco-restoration initiatives undertaken by AHADS, has completely dried up now because of indiscriminate sand-mining and deforestation. Same is the case of Uppumkarapallam, a 11-km rivulet that ensured water security to a number of tribal hamlets.
Though the project helped afforestation of 11,000 hectares of barren land, apart from bringing 5,000 hectares of fallow land under cultivation, lack of efforts over the past three years made the initiative an abject failure.
Soil and water conservation projects initiated in 17,000 hectares have also turned big failures. Check-dams and rainwater harvesting measures initiated under the project have completely failed because of the lack of periodic repair and maintenance.
Other than converting AHAD’s huge office complex at Agali as a training centre for local bodies, nothing has been done to preserve its achievements.
“Before winding up its projects, AHADS had prepared a Rs. 253-crore total hamlet development programme. It had also submitted to the government a Rs. 159.34-crore agriculture package to sustain the gains of the project and make Attappady an organic food hub of Kerala,” says S. Palaniswamy, a tribal activist who had worked with AHADS initiatives. Around 310 institutions having participation of tribespeople have turned idle after the collapse of AHADS.