NEW INDIAN EXPRESS (Chennai, India) 30 November 09 Crocodiles in Amaravathi terrorise villagers (S Kaththasami)

Tirupur: Normal life in nearly 20 villages along the Amaravathi river near Dharapuram has been under threat for the past three years from the crocodiles in the river.

Many farmers and villagers encountered the crocodiles that escaped from Amaravathi dam during floods and took shelter in the checkdams along the course of the river. The villagers find it extremely difficult to bathe, fish and visit the temple on the river bank due to the presence of the crocodiles.

Ponnusamy, a farmer from Murungavalasu, who saw the crocodiles often at Athivalasu, said, “These crocodiles were very small when washed away from the dam during floods a few years ago, but now they are very big and have multiplied in number, posing a threat to human lives. They can be seen early in the morning and evening enjoying the sunshine.”

According to him, though they did not attack anyone till now, the fear of the creatures forced the villagers to avoid going near the river. “We row the coracles on the river and offer poojas at the temple with fear-stricken minds.” he observed.

It may be noted that two years ago a baby crocodile managed to enter a nearby farm and it accidentally fell into a well. It died during the rescue operation, after which the officials stepped up efforts to capture the crocodiles in the river. When the forest officials failed to trap them, they put up signboards warning people regarding the movements of the crocodiles.

Eswaramoorthy, Tirupur secretary of Uzhavar Uzhaipalar Katchi, said, “As long as water is full in the checkdams, they hide inside the wateQDQDr. When the water level goes down, they start to visit nearby farms and some times stray into the villages too.”

“Most of the farm workers in the village, who used to cross the river at Seethakadu, avoid the path due to the panic over the lurking danger. Instead, they go around nearly 10 km to cross the river to reach the nearby village,” he added.
Crocodiles in Amaravathi terrorise villagers

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