Wayanad landslides: Rescue efforts intensify; Kerala Government plans township for survivors

Wayanad (Kerala), August 3

Advanced radars, drones, and heavy machinery were used by rescue teams on Saturday, the fifth day of the tragic landslides that killed hundreds in Kerala's Wayanad district, to locate survivors or deceased. The state government also announced plans to establish a new township to rehabilitate displaced victims.

Stepping up the rescue operations, nearly 1,300 personnel from various forces, including the NDRF, K-9 Dog Squad, Army, Special Operation Group, Madras Engineering Group, Police, Fire Force, Forest Department, Navy, and Coast Guard were deployed in the disaster-struck areas.

Private companies specialising in the field of search and rescue and volunteers also joined the operations in which rescuers braved the rains and waterlogged terrain to look for survivors under massive boulders and huge logs that were deposited in residential areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala in the landslides.

The death toll from the catastrophic landslide has risen to 219, according to the state government.

With around 206 people still missing, deep search radars and cadaver dogs were also deployed in a bid to locate people or their remains believed to be trapped beneath the huge debris in the landslide-ravaged villages.

The rescue efforts were also supported by a group of ham radio enthusiasts who established a critical communication network that helped save lives and facilitated the search operations.

The amateur radio system, set up by volunteer operators on the ground floor of the District Collector's office in Kalpetta, has been providing vital information to affected communities and authorities, facilitating rescue efforts and relief operations.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the search and rescue operations have entered their final stages.

Addressing the media here, he also said there was difficulty in identifying the dead bodies and parts recovered from the Chaliyar river.

Referring to the rehabilitation efforts, Vijayan said a secure region will be identified and a township will be constructed.

“The government plans a comprehensive rehabilitation process for the survivors, aiming for swift completion. A new, safer area will be identified for constructing a township. The Education Minister will visit Wayanad to ensure that children's education is not disrupted,” Vijayan told the reporters here.

The CM said the state has received offers from the Congress party and the Karnataka government to build 100 houses each for rehabilitating those who have lost everything in the disaster.

He said similar offers to build houses have been made by others too.

The day also saw the arrival of Malayalam superstar Mohanlal in the landslide-ravaged areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala, in his capacity as an honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army, to oversee the search and rescue operations.

Donning army fatigues, the actor held a brief discussion with officers at the Army camp in Meppadi before visiting Chooralmala, Mundakkai and Punchirimattom, among other places, and interacting with the various rescue workers, including the Army and the locals, to get an understanding of the gravity of the incident.

At the landslide-hit areas, Mohanlal, who was conferred the Lt Colonel post in the territorial army in 2009, was briefed about the search and rescue operations by the army officers, and thereafter he interacted with mediapersons.

During his interaction, he said that it was one of the worst natural disasters ever seen in the country and thanked everyone involved in every aspect of the search and rescue operations.

The actor also said that the Viswasanthi Foundation, founded by him, has pledged Rs 3 crore for the rehabilitation works in the disaster-hit region.

Actor-cum-director and retired army officer Major Ravi, who accompanied Mohanlal, said that as managing director of the foundation, he was promising that they would rebuild the Mundakkai LP school, which stands in ruins in the wake of the landslides.

Doing its part, the Kerala government announced free ration to the people of Mundakkai and Chooralmala regions of Wayanad district, which were hit by the devastating landslide on July 30.

Amidst the help coming from various quarters for rehabilitating people who lost everything in the landslides, a similar effort was also made by the Animal Welfare Department of the state for the domestic animals, including livestock, who were rendered homeless and ownerless in the disaster.

The department on Saturday decided to hand over the domestic animals to dairy farmers in the vicinity of the landslide-hit areas who are willing to take them, the district administration said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the issue of making donations to the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF) created a ripple within the Congress over the announcement by senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala that he would donate to it one month's salary, which he draws as an MLA.

The announcement drew a sharp reaction from his party colleague and KPCC chief K Sudhakaran, who, on Saturday, expressed displeasure by saying that there was no need to give money to the funds managed by the CPI(M)-led Left government.

Sudhakaran's statement comes amidst online smear campaigns discouraging people from sending funds to the CMDRF.

The police have lodged 39 FIRs till Friday in connection with the smear campaigns against the CM's Facebook post requesting help for the people affected by the landslides in Wayanad district.