Pulomilo Island

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Pulomilo Island is a tiny island in the Nicobar district of India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It lies just north of Little Nicobar Island and covers about 0.82 square kilometers (0.32 square miles). The island is mostly covered with forests of casuarina, pandanus, and coconut palms. The only settlement is the village of Pulomilo, where about 20 people lived in 5 households (as of the 2011 census). The local people are from Nicobarese communities, and they mainly speak the Channai Payuh dialect of Nicobari; many are Christians. There is no electricity on the island and people travel mainly by boat. The main crop is coconuts (copra).

Pulomilo used to be connected to Little Nicobar, but the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami wiped away much of the land, turning Pulomilo into a separate island. In 2004, 105 people were killed—about half of the island’s population at that time—and 109 people survived. Among the survivors, 15 had injuries serious enough to report, and about 41 suffered diarrhoea, fever, or respiratory infections. The disaster destroyed many boats and livestock, and disrupted the island’s economy and infrastructure. Before the tsunami, there was a small police post and a radio house; electricity was available only for a few hours each night. Pulomilo is part of the Great Nicobar subdivision, Little Nicobar taluk, in the Nicobar district. Tourism exists only on a small scale, though some visitors have called Pulomilo a stunning, green island with a golden beach and stilted huts.