Wayanad landslide toll mounts 160; disaster linked to 3 causes. 10 updates

Wayanad landslide: Officials fear that casualties are likely to increase as 180 people are still missing and many are feared to be trapped under the debris

The devastating landslide in Kerala’s Wayanad on Tuesday has killed at least 160 people and injured over 200, government officials said on Wednesday.

Officials fear that casualties are likely to increase as 180 people are still missing and many are feared to be trapped under the debris. Rescuers are racing against time in a large-scale rescue operation, but the ongoing rainfall is posing challenges to the mission. The Indian Army said that about 1,000 people have been rescued so far.

Top 10 updates on Wayanad landslides:

1) The disaster has mainly affected four villages situated in the hilly districts Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha, which have been completely destroyed in the landslides and got cut off after Tuesday’s disaster.

2) Initial estimates indicate that around 300 houses have been completely destroyed. In Chooralmala – one of the worst-hit villages – all the houses and shops were destroyed in the landslides.

3) One of the reasons for such a high death toll could be that the landslides occurred during the pre-dawn hours on Tuesday at 2 am and 4 am, catching people off-guard and leaving no time to evacuate their houses. During the search and rescue mission, around 30 body parts were recovered from Nilmabur and Meppadi.

4) Besides, the NDRF and state disaster response team, armed forces are also involved in the rescue mission to speed up the work. Around 30 specialist swimmers from the Indian Navy have been deployed at the site, while at least 200 army personnel were assisting in the rescue efforts. 

5) Air Force choppers Mi-17 and one ALH Dhruv have also been deployed for relief work. An Indian Navy team from the Ezhimala Naval Base in Kannur had also been mobilised on Tuesday.

6) Former Wayanad Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit the disaster-hit region today. He will be accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Earlier, Rahul had urged the local party workers and allies to support the relief work

Three possible explanations behind Wayanad landslide:

7) According to reports, Wayanad’s fragile terrain, coupled with the impact of climate change could be behind the devastating landslides. A report by Down to Earth said that a 2019 landslide in Wayanad’s Puthumala led to the emergence of ‘soil piping’ that could have triggered the disaster in Mundakkai and Chooralmala. Soil piping is a naturally occurring phenomenon that happens when water erodes soil, creating channels or holes underground. Puthumala is located just over two kilometres from Chooralmala.

8) Meppadi panchayat in Wayanad, where the disaster-hit villages are located, was labelled as an eco-sensitive zone in 2013 by two expert panels appointed by the then Kerala government. This would have meant regulation of construction and human activities in the region because of the fragile nature of the ecosystem. However, the draft memorandum, submitted in 2014, is yet to be notified, according to the Indian Express.

Is climate change linked to the Wayanad landslides?

9) Another expert has partially blamed climate change for such large-scale damage to the district. S Abhilash, associated with the Cochin University of Science and Technology, told news agency PTI that a deep mesoscale cloud system formed off the coast in the Arabian Sea on Monday, triggering the unprecedented rainfall in Wayanad and nearby regions and resulting in the subsequent landslides.

“The clouds were very deep, similar to those seen during the 2019 Kerala floods,” Abhilash said, noting that the warming of the Arabian Sea is making the atmosphere unstable (formation of such deep clouds) and leading to more intense rainfall.

10) On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Amit Shah had separately spoken to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, assuring him of all the help from the Centre. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi also discussed the situation.