Peace is just in name not in life, say residents of Idukki’s Shanthipalam in Kerala

With the arrival of every monsoon, people living on the banks of the Periyar undergo turbulent days and nights.

The very name of the place means the ‘bridge of peace’. However, people in this small village town on the banks of the Periyar undergo turbulent days and nights with the arrival of every monsoon. For over four decades, the people of the village lost their peaceful life.

“Imagine that at the dead of night you have to rush away from your house leaving everything there. You do not know what will remain in the house. You are not even sure that your house will be there or not,” says Rajesh, a resident at Shanthipalam.

Things became worse in August 2018. The water level was above the danger mark in the Periyar. At night, a loudspeaker announcement from the authorities of the Revenue Department voiced asking the people to leave the house as Mullaperiyar dam would be opened soon. Leaving everything including the cattle and livestock, people rushed out, taking with them children and aged people.