Project Genesis

During 1993, the Rural Development Department, Government of Kerala, entrusted the Centre for Water Resource Development and Management (CWRDM) the task of drawing up a comprehensive project for Integrated and Sustainable Eco-Development of Attappady Wastelands. The Project was submitted to the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Government of India with a request for loan assistance from the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF, later renamed as Japan Bank for International Cooperation - JBIC) of the Government of Japan. In January 1995, DEA short-listed the Project for posing it to the OECF and during Februray 1995, a fact-finding mission from the OECF visited the Project area and held discussion with the Central and State Government agencies. Subsequently, after finalising the structure of the Project, the implementation agency and the financial terms and conditions; in October 1995, the State Government announced the formation of an autonomous society in the name of Attappady Hills Area Development Society (AHADS) with its headquarters at Agali for the implementation of the Project. The initial title of the project – ‘Integrated and Sustainable Eco-Development of Attappady Wastelands’ was changed as “Attappady Wasteland Comprehensive Environmental Conservation Project (AWCECOP).” It was decided that the AHADS would have reasonable freedom of action, both in terms of financial and administrative matters in order to enlist massive public participation in the implementation of the Project and for achieving the desired results.  

On October 31, 1995 the Attappady Hills Area Development Society (AHADS) was registered under the Charitable Societies Registration Act, 1860. The Project was formally inaugurated by the then Honorable Chief Minister of Kerala on February 11, 1996. The then Honorable Minister for Local Self Government, on 22nd April 2000 officially inaugurated the field implementation of the Project.  


Initially, AHADS planned to execute the activities in a phased manner. Hence, Development Unit (DU) 9 was selected as a pilot case. Three DUs, namely 4, 10, and 13 were planned for phase II implementation and the remaining DUs were proposed to be covered under phase III and IV later. However, AHADS was required to cover 21 tribal hamlets transcending various DUs during the Ist phase itself. In these settlements, severe anemia cases were reported and interventions were required to provide the tribes adequate support for overcoming malnutrition problems. A survey in this regard was conducted by AHADS in association with the Agali Primary Health Centre (PHC) in 51 tribal hamlets reporting malnutrition and unemployment. The survey was conducted to plan an appropriate programme to eradicate starvation and malnutrition in the background of starvation death reported in Vellakulam hamlet in the year of 1999. After thorough discussions with the Panchayats and other line departments, AHADS decided to select 21 hamlets, out of the surveyed hamlets for implementation of various components of the Project. The Panchayats concerned took up the responsibility to devise programmes for the remaining tribal hamlets. Subsequently, AHADS commenced the activities in DU 9, as well as in the identified 21 tribal hamlets. It was a special package consisting of development of the nutrition gardens, soil conservation works, cattle shed and alternative energy development etc. With Project fund inflow taking place in these hamlets, there was immediate relief. 

With the spreading out of the Project activities beyond DU 9, it was realized that the operational strategy of confining the Project only to one DU might cause unwanted problems in respect of social unrest, use of manpower and other resources. While in one area the Project would generate employment, regenerate natural resources and capacitate human resources, in the other areas, being in close proximity to each other, the unemployment, poverty and degraded ecosystems would adversely impact the pace of the implementation. Furthermore, in the holistic socio-economic and ecological perspective, effects of the Project would not be visible, if applied only in a small unit. Therefore, considering these factors, AHADS decided to cover the whole of Attappady Block under implementation during the last quarter of 2001. Five multi- disciplinary teams, consisting of professional staff were constituted and the Attappady Block was divided in five regions to be managed by one team each. This was also necessitated in order to integrate the various components of the Project within a team. An Assistant Director, who is known as the Team Leader, heads each team and works through the community based organizations in his/her area, technically supported by an assistant engineer, a soil conservation officer, a forestry officer, an extension officer, an agriculture officer, two or three coordinators and a large number of technical assistants, who are mostly recruited from within Attappady.