Wayanad: Lessons we refuse to learn

Special to The Tribune

C Gouridasan Nair in Thiruvananthapuram

Kerala these days is living through the devastating impact of the worst natural disaster in living memory. The catastrophe began in the dead of night on July 30, as relentless monsoon rains battered north Kerala. The region received an estimated 600 mm of rainfall within 48 hours on July 29-30. During the wee hours of July 30, the intensity of the rain reached new heights, saturating the soil and overburdening the land. The ground, unable to bear the weight of the excessive water, gave way with a thunderous roar, triggering a landslide of unparalleled magnitude.

The landslide struck with merciless force, crashing down from the steep slopes of the Western Ghats. It ploughed through Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala and Noolpuzha villages, obliterating homes and infrastructure in its path. The sheer volume of debris, including rocks, mud and uprooted trees, created a chaotic scene of destruction. Entire families were washed away, leaving little trace of their existence beneath the massive mound of earth and debris. Some survived to narrate tales of miraculous escape from the jaws of death, but many more have been left grieving for their lost kin.
One-third of the bodies and 90 per cent body parts were recovered from the Chaliyar river, some 38 km downstream, indicating the ferocity of the floodwaters. Men and machinery have been at work at Mundakkai and Chooralmala for days now, but there is only little hope of finding any of those washed away alive. Wings of the armed forces, paramilitary formations, state police and a large number of volunteers are still at work to retrieve bodies, but hope is waning on all sides as each day passes.

The causes for the landslide are complex and intertwined. The relentless monsoon rains, exacerbated by climate change, had created perfect conditions for such a disaster. The region’s geology includes large stretches of clayey soil, which becomes particularly unstable when saturated with water. Deforestation, agricultural expansion and operation of quarries had compromised the natural stability of the land, reducing its ability to absorb rainfall and increasing the risk of landslides. Rising global temperatures and changing weather patterns have intensified monsoon rains and increased the frequency of extreme weather events. These changes have made areas like Wayanad more vulnerable to severe landslides and flooding.

Wayanad has been witnessing rampant deforestation since the 1980s. Even during the time of the British, large tracts of land were converted into tea and coffee plantations, but the real damage was done post-Independence. When the forest trees were uprooted or when, subsequently, rubber plantations were subjected to slaughter, the terrain was left with huge cavities into which water seeped in. When such a place receives some 600 mm of rainfall over two days, it is a recipe for trouble and that is precisely what happened at Chundakkai.

The flow-power of the floodwater was massive, but the scale of destruction became so great because the people chose to construct their homes, set up schools and have various other structures in the flood plains. The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel had, in 2011, recommended banning certain categories of construction activities, mining and quarrying in large parts of the Western Ghats, which is one of the eight biodiversity hotspots. However, those recommendations have so far received only scant attention and that is certainly one major cause for the repeated tragic weather events that Kerala, like other parts of the Western Ghats, has been experiencing.

Climatic conditions are expected to worsen in the future because of the emerging global warming scenario. The frequency of landslides is likely to go up in hilly regions like Wayanad. The Indian Meteorological Department will have to change its playbook or other agencies will have to step in massively if climate-induced disasters of the kind witnessed in Wayanad are to be met with successfully. Need for shelter, food, and medical care for the displaced population is critical. Relief camps are being established, but the scale of the disaster is stretching resources thin.
In the aftermath of this disaster, there will have to be increased scrutiny on land management and development policies in vulnerable regions of Kerala. There is a pressing need for comprehensive disaster management strategies that address both prevention and mitigation. However, that looks a tall order if past experience is anything to go by.