Page 5 - Landslide

Heavy rains lash Kerala; trees uprooted, houses damaged, rivers swell

A Huge number of trees got uprooted, houses were damaged, rivers are in spate, and shutters of some dams were raised in Kerala on Sunday with heavy rains overnight and strong winds continuing to lash across the state. Almost all districts of the state received widespread rains throughout the night and in the morning, causing intense waterlogging in low-lying areas and traffic snarls. In landslide-battered Chooralmala in Wayanad, incessant heavy rains caused concerns among local people the previous night. Water flow in the Punnapuzha River, crisscrossing through the Chooralmala-Mundakkai region, heavily increased due to continuing downpour, they said. "We are yet to recover from the shock of last year's landslide. We have not slept properly at night, as we were scared of seeing heavy rains. We feared something worse," an elderly local man told a TV channel. In Pathanamthitta district, a family had a narrow escape as huge trees uprooted and fell upon their tile-roof house near ...

Hundreds stranded on Kailash Yatra after landslide in Uttarakhand

A Border Roads Organisation team is working to clear debris and restore access after a major landslide blocked the Adi Kailash route in Pithoragarh

₹1,700 cr approved for Joshimath rehab, first instalment released: CM Dhami

CM Dhami recalled that around 20 per cent of Joshimath town was affected by land subsidence in February 2023, resulting in widespread cracks in homes

Over 1,100 tourists rescued in landslide-hit Sikkim, 1,800 stranded

Around 1,100 tourists stranded in north Sikkkm's Chungthang town following landslides were evacuated by the authorities on Friday, while 1,800 others are awaiting rescue from two other popular hill stations in Mangan district, officials said. The administration is bringing the evacuated travellers to the state capital Gangtok, around 100 km from Chungthang. Those tourists, who spent Thursday night in a gurdwara, left in about 200 vehicles, officials said. From Chungthang, the vehicles reached Mangan, the district headquarters, via a reconstructed bailey bridge at Sangkalang which was opened for traffic movement. Officials said that efforts were also on to clear the roads as fast as possible to evacuate around 1,800 other tourists stuck in Lachung and Lachen. Roads to Lachen and Lachung remained closed due to mudslides caused by heavy rainfall on Thursday evening. Tourists need to travel via Chungthang to reach Lachung and Lachen, hill stations known for their natural beauty and .

Over 1,000 tourists stranded as landslides hit Sikkim, permits suspended

Relentless rain triggered massive landslides in North Sikkim, stranding over 1,000 tourists; travel permits suspended as roads remain blocked

CM Omar Abdullah meets flood, landslide-hit victims in J-K's Ramban

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday assessed the ground situation in the aftermath of the destruction caused by heavy rains coupled with cloudbursts and landslides here, and met with the affected families. This was his second visit to the affected areas in as many days. On Monday, the chief minister drove from Srinagar to the worst-hit Maroog-Kela Morh stretch along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway which remained closed for the third day on Tuesday. Abdullah, accompanied by his political advisor Nasir Aslam Wani, flew in a helicopter to Chanderkote area of Ramban this morning and immediately left for landslide-hit Seri to assess the situation. Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Baseer-ul-Haq Choudhary was seen briefing the chief minister as he moved on foot and met the affected families. District Development Council chairperson Shamshad Shan and MLA Banihal Sajad Shaheen were also present and interacted with the chief minister, who later left for the Ramban marke

Flash floods in J&K's Ramban: Rescue operations underway

Rescue operations are underway in several stretches of National Highway in Jammu's Ramban area after heavy rain triggered triggered flash floods and landslides and wreaked havoc.

Wayanad township rehabilitation work commences following Kerala HC order

Construction work of the township for the Wayanad landslides victims commenced early Saturday morning at the Elstone Estate near Kalpetta here. The work began a day after the Kerala High Court paved the way for the state government to take possession of the Elstone Estate land, meant for the project, after depositing an additional Rs 17.77 crore. A Wayanad district administration official said that following the High Court order on Friday, the District Disaster Management Authority held a meeting the same evening and decided to deposit the amount and take possession of the land. Thereafter, District Collector Meghashree D R and other concerned officials completed all the required formalities during the night, the official said. A representative of the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS), the main contractor of the project, told media here that the construction work has commenced and it will move forward quickly. "The first thing to be done is to construct a road

Centre, NDMA can ask banks to waive loans of Wayanad landslide victims: HC

The Kerala High Court on Thursday said that while the RBI cannot ask banks to waive the loans of Wayanad landslides victims, the Union government and the National Disaster Management Authority can do so. A bench of Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Easwaran S said it will pass orders "nudging" the Centre and the NDMA to ask the banks to waive off the loans. The bench pointed out that the Kerala Bank had waived off the disaster victims' loans and it had an exposure of around Rs five crore. The High Court observed that if the Kerala Bank can do it, then the other banks, which have lesser exposure, can also do the same. "It only requires a bit of goading from the NDMA and the Union government," it said. The observations came in the wake of the central government filing an affidavit earlier in the week stating that according to the RBI's Master Directions on Natural Calamities, the loans of the Wayanad landslides victims can only be restructured or rescheduled. The bench also dir

Not waiving loans of Wayanad landslides victims 'betrayal': Priyanka Gandhi

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said that the Union government decision not to waive loans of people affected by the landslides in Wayanad in July last year was a "betrayal". Priyanka, also the MP from Wayanad, was referring to the central government affidavit in the Kerala High Court stating that the loans can only be rescheduled or restructured in accordance with the RBI's Master Directions on Natural Calamities. "Wayanad landslide victims have lost everything -- homes, land, livelihoods. Yet, the government refuses to offer even a loan waiver. Instead, they get mere loan rescheduling and restructuring. This is not a relief. This is a betrayal," she said in a Facebook post. The Congress MP further said that she and her party "strongly condemn this apathy and stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Wayanad". "Their pain will not be ignored. We will raise their voices at every platform until justice is served," she said. The Centre'

Landslide near Manikaran Gurudwara in Himachal kills 6, several injured

A landslide triggered by a storm in Himachal's Kullu district on Sunday left six people dead and as many injured after a huge tree fell on several vehicles near Gurudwara Manikaran Sahib, officials said. Medical teams, police and revenue officials are present at the spot and coordinating rescue and relief operations, Kullu's Sub Divisional Magistrate Vikas Shukla told reporters at the spot. A tree on a mountain opposite the gurudwara got uprooted following a storm and landslide. It fell on some vehicles and some 'rehri' (wooden carts) on the road, the officials said. Among those killed were Manikaran resident Reena, Varsini from Bangalore and Sameer, a native of Nepal who was working in Kullu, they said. The other three deceased are yet to be identified. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur have expressed deep grief over the incident. Congress MLA from Kullu Sunder Singh Thakur said six people were killed when a hollow tree on the mountain

Landslide blocks Rishikesh-Badrinath highway, CM Dhami monitoring situation

According to reports, the highway remains closed, with debris falling at multiple locations, including Animath and Pagal Nala in the Jyotirmath Kotwali region

Priyanka Gandhi asks PM for unconditional aid for Wayanad landslide victims

Highlighting the immense loss of lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure, she expressed disappointment over the inadequacy of the recently announced Rs 529.50 crore relief package

Wayanad rehabilitation: No assistance from the Centre yet, says Kerala CM

The Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said that while no assistance has come from the Centre till date for rehabilitation of survivors of Wayanad landslide, Rs 712.98 received in the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund will be used for helping the survivors. Vijayan said that the state had initially demanded a sum of Rs 2,221 crore for the landslide rehabilitation from the Centre, but as per the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) report, more is expected. "As the Union Government declared Wayanad landslide as a 'disaster of severe nature' MPs from across the country can contribute up to a sum of Rs 1 crore and I have already written to all MPs in the country seeking help," he added. The CM was replying to a query raised by UDF MLA Kurukkoli Moideen during the question hour in the Legislative Assembly, on the amount received for the Wayanad package. Vijayan assured that the funds received in the CMDRF will be utilised for the benefit of the disaster survivors a

17 dead, 9 missing after flash flood in Indonesia, search ops resume

Indonesian rescuers resumed a search Wednesday for people missing after flash floods and landslides on Indonesia's main island of Java that killed at least 17 people. Waters from flooded rivers tore through nine villages in Pekalongan regency of Central Java province and landslides tumbled onto mountainside hamlets after the torrential rains Monday. National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said flooding triggered a landslide that buried two houses and a cafe in Petungkriyono resort area. The disasters all together destroyed 25 houses, a dam and three main bridges connecting villages in Pekalongan. Muhari said at least 17 people were dead, nine were missing and 13 injured by Wednesday. Nearly 300 people were forced to flee to temporary government shelters. The search and rescue operation that was hampered by bad weather, mudslides and rugged terrain was halted Tuesday afternoon due to heavy rain and thick fog that made devastated areas along the rivers dangerous

Kerala announces rehabilitation project for Wayanad landslide survivors

The Kerala government on Wednesday approved a comprehensive rehabilitation project for survivors of devastating landslides in Wayanad district that killed over 200 people last July. The project involves setting up two townships to provide a safe and sustainable living environment for those affected by the disaster. Addressing a press conference after the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the two townships, proposed in two selected plantation estates in Kalpetta and Kottappady, would have all basic amenities, including houses, schools, health centres, anganwadis, markets, parking areas, playgrounds, drinking water, sanitation facilities, and so on. The CM addressed the press conference to detail the proposed project, which, he said, would be completed in a time-bound manner. He said rehabilitation does not mean just providing a house but it would compromise all possible livelihood means to help the survivors to move on with their lives. All those who come forwar

Kerala min slams Centre for delay in declaring Wayanad landslide 'severe'

Criticising the Centre for taking five months before declaring Wayanad landslide as a 'disaster of severe nature,' Kerala Revenue Minister K Rajan said on Tuesday that it would have been more beneficial if the Centre's announcement had come within two months after the calamity struck. The state government had on Monday received an official communication from the Centre that the Wayanad landslides have been declared as a disaster of "severe nature," recognising its intensity and impact for all practical purposes. Addressing reporters here, Rajan said it would have been more beneficial if the Centre's declaration had come within two months of the disaster. We can't just understand why it took more than five months for the Centre to make such a declaration, the minister said. He said despite the Inter-Ministerial Central Team submitting its report to the Home ministry within a month of the disaster, The Centre's high-level committee sat on it for five months to recognise the landslide

Glad Shah declared Wayanad tragedy as 'Disaster of Severe Nature': Priyanka

Centre had informed the state of Kerala that the Meppadi landslide disaster in Wayanad district has been considered by the Inter-Ministerial Central Team as a disaster of 'severe nature'

Year ender 2024: Devastating tragedies that sent shock waves across world

From earthquakes to mass shootings: Here are the most devastating global tragedies of 2024

Kerala's eventful 2024 marred by disasters, scandals and political twists

The devastating landslides that wiped away three villages in Wayanad, Congress' thumping victory in the Lok Sabha polls and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's maiden electoral victory were the significant events that shaped the Kerala's socio-political scenario in 2024. The revelations of sexual abuse and harassment in the Malayalam film industry, brought to light by the Justice Hema Committee report, also stirred up the political pot due to the delay in disclosing the panel's findings, which followed allegations of rape against some key actors, including ruling CPI(M) MLA and actor M Mukesh. On 30 July, massive landslides occurred in the Chooralmala and Mundakkai regions of Wayanad, triggered by torrential rains, resulting in over 200 deaths, numerous injuries, and thousands being left homeless. It is considered one of the worst natural disasters in Kerala's history. Hundreds were left buried under the debris and many had to be pulled out by rescue agencies, which ...