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Landslide fear: ‘After Malin and Irshalwadi, our Dhanavali village will be next’
Kondhari and Dhanavali villages at Bhor taluka in Pune district are located at hill slopes and prone to landslides. Authorities are yet to address the rehabilitation demand made by the villagers six years ago
Pune: For Bhivaji Parathe, the 64-year-old resident of Kondhari village, located 25 km from Bhor taluka, living through the nights during monsoons is a nightmare.
“Minor landslides are common in our village during rains. My house collapsed in one of the landslides in July 2019. The 300-odd people living here have been demanding relocation and rehabilitation since past six years. During the rainy season, while the villagers who stay back are on alert at nights to raise alarm to save livestock and property in case of landslide, other villagers move to a nearby temporary place.
Surrounded by hills and natural waterfalls flowing on its two margins, Dhanavali village is also prone to landslides with its 458 inhabitants living to share the harrowing tales of survival during the monsoon months.
For a visitor, the village is similar to Irshalwadi where a recent landslide claimed 27 people and 47 are reported missing.
“The Malin village landslide happened a few years ago and now Irshalwadi. Our Dhanavali village could be the next as its geographical conditions are similar to Irshalwadi. Landslide incidents were reported at nearby places in 2021,” said Ramchandra Dhanavale, a villager from Dhanavali.
Kondhari and Dhanavali villages at Bhor taluka in Pune district are located at hill slopes and prone to landslides. The authorities are yet to address the rehabilitation demand made by the villagers six years ago.
The proposal for rehabilitation of these villages was forwarded to the state government by the Pune district administration on May 6, 2022.
The loss
“On that fateful night in July 2019, the land from the hillside near our village gave away triggered by relentless heavy rain. We ran out of our house after hearing the sound and soon our settlement was washed away in the mudslide. We are putting up at another house since then, but we want the authorities to shift us all to a safe place,” Bhivaji said.
Another senior citizen Anusaya Mandhare from the village said, “As my mud house is close to the landslide-prone mountain, our family sleep at the Pune zilla parishad school office at nights during the rainy season. Most of the youth of our village stay awake at nights to report of any landslide incident.”
Though the government authorities have sanctioned funds for these villages — Kondhari at Hiradus Maval Valley and Dhanavali near Neera Deoghar Dam area — to deepen and widen streams and drains to channel waterflow from mountains, build stone walls and nets on hills, construct concrete and gabion dams, some works remain incomplete.
Risky settlement
Spread across one hectare and 17 gunthas (one guntha is 0.025 acre), Kondhari village houses over 40 families with population of around 300. The proposal to rehabilitate them at a safe location covering an area of two hectares 81 gunthas at an estimated cost of ₹13.08 crore is pending before the government authorities. The rehabilitation plan includes setting up houses, school, gram panchayat office, medical clinic, community halls, roads, and open and amenities spaces.
Dhanavali village is situated between two settlements near Raireshwar Fort Plateau, 39 km from Bhor. There are 121 families living here, including upper and lower Dhanwali and the population is 458. For the rehabilitation of the village, 13 hectares is identified and ₹34.70 crore budget is proposed by the Pune district administration.
Dhanavali is a village of Mahadev Koli community who collect and sell forest produce like honey, wild fruits, roots and firewood. Located adjacent to Raireshwar Fort, some villagers resettled on a plain two kilometres down the hill while others remained at the top of the fort side.
Another villager Shrutika Mohan Dhanavale said, “We need to walk through mountains for 30 to 40 minutes to reach the nearby village in case of any emergency. Authorities are putting our lives at risk but not taking a decision on rehabilitation.”
The proposal
Rajendra Kachare, sub-divisional officer, Bhor said, “Kondhari and Dhanavali villagers are landslide-prone areas. We submitted the rehabilitation plan after surveying the two villagers in May 2022. Officials are in regular touch with the villagers during the rainy season. Tehsildar and I also often visit these villages in monsoon. Food ration of two months is provided in advance to the villagers during monsoon. After the state government clears the rehabilitation plan, at least the houses for villagers will be made within a year.”
