Ecology, Development and the Experiences of Tribal Women: A Study of Karappuzha Dam in Western Ghats

This article attempts to understand tribal women’s issues, especially about their livelihood and relationship patterns with nature in the milieu of development interventions where they live closely with ecologically sensitive locations in Kerala. We employed a mixed method in this study. And the theoretical frameworks include eco-feminism and feminist environmentalism. Many studies argued that development projects, such as dams for irrigation or electricity and infrastructural modifications, have displaced local populations and posed challenges in the everyday lives of the indigenous people. It is contended that most relocation and resettlement attempts created profound anxieties in the livelihood patterns and survival mechanisms of the affected populations. These turbulences have affected the lives of tribal women who live closer to the forest ecologies. This phenomenon led to an alteration in their mobility patterns and survival strategies even after they are relocated or rehabilitated after displacement. Based on this premise, this article attempts to locate how the tribal women in relocated habitations are experiencing a shift in their modalities of engagement with nature and their livelihood strategies. This article will explore various dimensions of the ecological impacts experienced by the tribal women after the implementation of the Karappuzha Dam in Wayanad district, Kerala.