Islands of the Godavari

Imagine a big river. Now imagine it flowing all around you. That is because you are on an island located in the middle of the river. Our very own Godavari happens to have several such islands, and many of them are inhabited too! It is common knowledge of course that the Godavari delta region is one big island. Just before its confluence with the Bay of Bengal, the Godavari divides into two large distributary channels after the city of Rajahmundry. These further divide into two more, creating a wide network of water channels. In this sense, the whole delta region is one big network of islands and waterways. However, it so happens that even before entering the coastal plains, the Godavari floodplain is wide enough to create large islands.

One such island is located near the town of Khanapur on the north banks of the Godavari in Adilabad district. It is known by the name of Badankurthi, after the village of the same name situated on the island. The Godavari here flows all around the island and the village. The place was humorously described to us by a Khanapur local as 'double Godavari'! As can be imagined, the monsoon create singular difficulties for the islanders of Badankurthi. The monsoon flood season cuts them off completely, and makes travel and communication close to impossible. However, things have improved significantly in recent times, as a bridge across the Godavari connecting Khanapur with the south banks passing through Badankurthi island was completed. There are many other such islands amidst the Godavari all through its course, many of which are inhabited. The unique perspectives of the Godavari islanders is very important for our expedition, because only they are completely at the mercy of the river.