18/07/2025
The resilience and ingenuity displayed by the villagers of Ambagandhali are truly commendable.
Amabagandhali is a small forest village home to the Paraja indigenous community, consisting of 43 households in the Koraput. These people were displaced due to the construction of the Kolab dam in the 1970s, receiving minimal compensation. In response, they decided to migrate to the forest area of Baipariguda and establish their village within the deep forest. As a result, the village was not officially recognized as a Revenue village, leading to a lack of essential infrastructure such as safe drinking water, schools, and roads.
Upon settling in the village in the 1980s, the community relied on stream water for drinking and household use. In the early 2000s, the villagers embarked on a project to bring water closer to their village. They dug a smallwell near the stream source and laid pipes for 800/900 meters to transport water to the village, connecting multiple perennial streams to ensure a sustainable water supply. To this day, the villagers continue to depend on this stream water for their daily needs.
Recently, the story of Amabagandhali has taken a positive turn after the Forest Right act of 2006. With the support of organization SPREAD, the village has obtained Community Forest Rights, Individual Forest Rights, and is in the process of converting into a Revenue village. Thanks to these efforts, the village now boasts a tube well, an ICDS center, and an all-weather road. SPREAD has also facilitated a Post CFR management plan and, with contributions from the organization, the villagers have implemented various soil and water conservation measures and forest-based plantations in the communal area, actively preserving , protecting their forest.
The resilience and ingenuity displayed by the villagers of Ambagandhali are truly commendable.
