Over 400 tribal families are living inside the Chethalath forest range in Kerala in fragile huts made of tarpaulin sheets and bamboo. Their lives changed forever after back-to-back disasters.
In 2018, Kerala witnessed one of its worst floods. Rivers overflowed, dams were opened, and large parts of the state were submerged. But in Wayanad, the crisis took a different form as landslides. Entire hillsides collapsed, burying homes and cutting off villages.
Just a year later, in 2019, history repeated itself. Intense monsoon rains triggered more landslides. Entire settlements disappeared under mud and debris. Hundreds died, and thousands were displaced again.
For many families, recovery never came.
Years later, they are still here — without clean water, without electricity, and without permanent homes.
Residents say survival itself is a daily struggle. With no toilets and constant threats from wild animals, even basic dignity is missing. Children go to school from these unstable shelters, while families depend on forest resources to survive.
The land they occupy belongs to a government corporation, leaving them without legal rights to claim it. Despite years of protests, and even a Supreme Court-backed land allocation, many families say no action has been taken.
Now, as elections approach, frustration is turning into protest.
In Wayanad, tribal votes matter. But this time, the bigger question is not who they will vote for. It is whether they will vote at all.
Kerala will go to poll on April 9, 2026.
Video Producer: Aparna Singh
Video Editor: Joy Das
