Tribal children in Erode district deprived of education for a month as floods cut off two hamlets

Students from two tribal hamlets inside the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) have been unable to go to schools for a month after torrential rains left their only access route cut off. The four causeways across streams feeding the Gunderipallam reservoir were extensively damaged, isolating the settlements.

Vilankombai and Kembanur, inhabited by about 60 Urali tribal families, together have around 30 children studying in government schools at Vinoba Nagar and Kongarpalayam, located 7 km and 10 km away respectively. Both hamlets lie deep inside the forest behind the reservoir and fall under the Kongarpalayam Panchayat in the Thookkanaicken Palayam (T.N. Palayam) Union in Gobichettipalayam taluk.

The recent downpour washed away the low-level causeways and damaged the road, cutting off all movement. Education, healthcare, and public distribution services have come to a standstill, the residents said. The school vehicle operated under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan’s Transport and Escort Services scheme last ran on October 7, 2025, after which students have remained at home.

“From October to January, during the rainy season, the school vehicle cannot ply, forcing children to stay home,” said S.C. Natraj, Director of the Sathyamangalam-based NGO Service Unit for Development Activities in Rural (SUDAR).

With repairs to the damaged causeways unlikely in the near future, villagers have renewed their demand for an alternative route. V.P. Gunasekaran, State Committee Member of the Tamil Nadu Tribal People’s Association, said Tiruppur MP K. Subbarayan, who recently visited the area, had petitioned District Collector S. Kandasamy to create a new link road.

Maadhan, a resident, said the problem recurs every year and that villagers have been battling the situation for generations. “Walking 7 km through dense forest teeming with wild animals is risky. At least the proposed alternative road should become a reality in our lifetime so that our children can stay connected with the outside world,” he added.

“The 4-km Kavalur–Pellathur footpath should be upgraded into a motorable road with a bridge across the stream to provide a lasting solution,” Mr. Gunasekaran said, urging the district administration to act on a war footing.