- The landslide at Amboli hills
It has been a fortnight since I had last crossed the Amboli hills on my way to Goa from Ajra. That was 30 July 2010… the day a part of the hill came crashing down. I still remember how luckily our bus edged past the oncoming landslide. Our bus did get hit with two little boulders — but we escaped unhurt!
Over the days, Amboli remained closed… to traffic and tourists alike. With the rain gods provoking the hills, landslides continued to raise their tempers, pouring fresh earth down the valley. And as casualties started pouring in, one wondered whether the surreal heights of Amboli would continue to weave its magic on our minds.
A close view of the Amboli landslide reveals the extent of the damage.
Easily among the preferred destinations for a monsoon picnic, Amboli lies in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. Situated about 30 kilometres from Sawantwadi in South Maharashtra, it is frequented by tourists from Goa, Belgaum (Karnataka) and Maharashtra itself. The misty monsoon mood of Amboli along with its flowing waterfalls is what brings hordes of tourists here. The Amboli hills are part of the Sahyadri Mountain Range (Western Ghats) in West India. The Sahyadri Mountains are among the top biodiversity hotspots of the world.
Fast forward 15 August 2010. Having celebrated the Independence Day at Rosary English High School in Ajra, we now on the way to Goa for another celebration. But the sorry state of Amboli didn’t seem to be a sight worth celebrating. The green expanse of the hills now lay scratched. Red earth was still bleeding down its face. The hills looked wounded. What had become of our nature’s paradise! So unbecoming of nature! But was it our own undoing?
As vehicles lined up opposite each ends of the landslide, there was time to catch up and see firsthand the kind of work that goes on in laying a road in such conditions. To begin with, there seemed to be no road at all! Part of the road was beneath the landslide; part of it had fallen down the valley. Yet, the construction workers, standing at the edge of the fallen road, patiently laboured to lay a decent road. Oblivious to the danger of another landslide swallowing them alive, they laboured behind metal rods and plinths, LPG cylinders and cutters. One could easily question the safety of such workers. In India, labour sometimes comes cheap and is hardly valued. Yet, these labourers put their lives and their families at risk in order to eke out a living.
Construction workers work on a road at the site of the Amboli landslide.
Our jeep did eventually pass over the makeshift road… but not before we reminded ourselves that it was these “small people” who laboured for our safety! Sometimes, their work is just taken for granted. Our perceptions and attitudes towards such forms of work need to change for the better. Labourers and their labour should be respected with dignity.
Amboli will surely bounce back! Time will heal its scars as fresh vegetation will give the hills a fresh coat of green. But will labourers who drive the country’s progress ever get a fresh lease of life? Hopefully, time will heal their scars too.
small people BIG STORIES 