Summer rain leaves Mukkam woman, son homeless as mud, stones from mining site fill house premises

Kozhikode: A single day of summer showers has left 75-year-old Leela Mani and her son Dileep Kumar homeless. This after their house in the valley of Medampatta hill in Muthalam, near Manassery in Mukkam, Kozhikode, became inaccessible after mud and stones from the mining site up the hill filled their property following the rain. Despite complaints against the unrestrained mining, officials concerned had not acted on the family's plea.

"We were out visiting a relative's place. After the rain on May 19 (Sunday), the entire premise was filled with mud and stoned that slid down the hill from the mining site. The scene was heartbreaking. The entire property was filled with ankle-deep mud. We could not walk to the house as large boulders blocked the path. Even the well is filled with muddy water. As we could not enter the house we moved to another house in Koduvally," said Dileep.

Leela's family is not alone. Many residents in the vicinity are now under threat from the mining. Based on a complaint citing the 75-year-old's ordeal, the Human Rights Commission has asked the district collector and Mukkam municipality secretary to inquire into the incident and file a report before the panel within a week.

Around 3 acres of land, a major portion of the small hill has been dug up and the land owner has kept the soil as large mounds on his property. This soil and exposed rocks flowed down the hill when it rained heavily.

The mining began in 2022. "Even on the first day of mining, I had complained to the district collector, RDO, Kozhikode tahsildar, Thazhekad village officer, geologist and SHO of Mukkam police station. Had they taken timely action, this would not have happened," Dileep claimed.

After he filed his complaint, the land owner stopped the mining for a few weeks, as he did not have proper permission. He restarted the operation after acquiring the permit. However, the municipality authorities claimed the owner was permitted to level the plot into three decks for farming.

The municipality instructed the landowner to build concrete walls on each level of the hill to prevent soil erosion. But, he only constructed a single-metre-high stone wall to protect 30-foot-high soil mounds. In 2023, there was no large-scale erosion as the land owner had shifted out loads full of soil from the hill. But, when the summer rain began last week, the loose soil and water flowed out of the area. The stone wall was not enough to contain the muddy water.

Mukkam municipality chairman PT Babu told Onmanorama that the land owner had taken permission for farming and not for mining. "We have called the land owner for a discussion and instructed him to find an emergency solution to the issue. He must make the house safe and occupiable urgently. A fence with a net must be erected to prevent the mud flow. He must also pay compensation to the family who was forced to move to another house," he said.

"The land owner did not construct proper concrete walls on each level as instructed while giving permission in 2022. That worsened the situation. Now a few other families are under threat," Babu said.