Landslide buries, willpower resurrects Koottickal village after three years

The scar runs long and deep, cutting across the greeny hills of Koottickal, like a flawed, uneven pattern. From a distance, it looks like the symbol of a doomed village. The residents have however kicked on, battling loss, hardships and enduring the process of starting all over again. Three years after a deadly landslide ripped through the village in Kerala’s Kottayam district, life found a way to thrive here.

“We haven’t abandoned this place. Instead, we’ve worked hard to rebuild it as beautifully as possible. Look at the town now. It's not the same as it was when the landslide happened. We've rebuilt it in a better way. Only those shops that were located on the immediate banks of the river were relocated,” says Shibu Joseph, president of the Koottickal Vyapari Samithi.

Shibu tries to mask the agony of incalculable losses this village has borne. Official figures put the loss at 13 lives, 300 homes and 100 shops. Cold statistics seldom capture the actual horror. Among the dead were six members of the same family, Ottankal house. The tragic loss still echoes in the community's collective grief.

According to the Event Report on Extreme Rainfall over Kerala published by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), a total of 23 landslide incidents were recorded in the Kottayam district on October 16, 2021, affecting villages such as Koottickal, Edakkunnam, Mundakkayam, Erumely North, and Koruthodu. "Amongst Koottickal is the most affected," the report noted.

Starting afresh
They had lost earnings of their lifetime. The compensation from the government was Rs 10 lakh to those who lost both house and land, and Rs 4 lakh to those who lost only their houses.

“How can one rebuild a life with that amount? These people lost everything," said Karackat Gijo Jose, Youth Congress Koottickal mandalam president.” The opposition raised this in the assembly, but their demands for a comprehensive rehabilitation package were dismissed," Gijo added.

A resident said that many of the villagers had taken loans using their farmland as collateral, and now they have no means of repayment.

Rehabilitation efforts were largely undertaken by various organisations, with around 100 houses built for survivors and those relocated from landslide-prone areas. The land for these new homes was mostly donated by private individuals. The houses were built by groups and organisations like the CPM, the Catholic Diocese of Pala, Jamaat-e-Islami, Seva Bharati, Philokalia Welfare Centre and others.

The merchants of Koottickal were left empty-handed. Devoid of shops, stock and any money to start afresh, future appeared bleak. They felt that they were completely overlooked by the government’s relief efforts. “We approached the panchayat and village offices, submitted applications, and reported our losses, but nothing happened. They told us there was no provision for government funds to help the merchants,” said Shibu Joseph.

“We heard that funds were donated from kind-hearted people around the world for flood relief in Koottickal, but we received nothing. This was the same situation for the merchants in Ranni and Manimala when they were affected by the 2018 floods," Shibu added.

Ward member Jessy Jose confirmed this. "The engineers from the Local Self Governance Department (LSGD), who came to assess and document the flood damage, were instructed to list only houses, farmlands, and livestock—not the shops. As a result, we couldn’t assist the merchants,” she said.

She added that the Kerala Bank offered loans to the affected merchants, but these had to be repaid with interest, and only a few availed it. While some merchants received help through insurance from their union, the majority remained without support.

Eventually, the merchants were left to fend for themselves. “We raised Rs 2 lakh and, with an additional Rs 3 lakh from the Kottayam District Vyapari Samithi, we distributed a total of Rs 5 lakh among affected merchants. Those with severe damage received Rs 10,000, while those less affected got Rs 5,000,” said Suresh Kumar K R, former secretary, Koottickal Vyapari Vyavasai Ekopana Samithi.

They have decided to express solidarity for Wayanad merchants in their own way. "We collected Rs 1 lakh to donate directly to the merchants in Wayanad through the Vyapari Samithi,” said Suresh.

The infrastructure that lay in ruins following the landslide is being rebuilt. Road construction in the area is nearly complete, but the rebuilding of bridges, particularly the Yendayar-Mukkulam bridge connecting Kottayam and Idukki districts, remains a priority. The authorities are hopeful that the bridge will be completed within six months, with Rs 5 crore allocated for its construction.

When life went downhill
It was a Saturday. Many of the villagers had lunch and took a nap in their houses. Others went shopping. The rain just kept getting heavier. Pullakayar River (also known as the Manimala River) swelled suddenly, inundating the surrounding settlements. Somewhere in the crest of the hill, earth would break open, triggering a series of catastrophic landslides.

As word of landslides from the hills of Plappally (Ward 3) spread, panic set in among residents in Koottickal town (Wards 11 and 12). People scrambled to gather belongings and flee, but nature's fury was relentless. Mud, debris and boulders surged down the hillsides, sweeping away everything.

The villagers had been familiar with the river's seasonal rise, but they were least prepared on that fateful day. “We assumed the water level would rise as it had in previous monsoons. But that time, it was different. We were fortunate to be alerted in time or the causalities could have been far worse,” recalled Suresh Kumar.

“We began evacuating our shops, moving stock as fast as we could, but the water rose too quickly—two feet, then four feet, and before we knew it, the merchants had to abandon everything,” Suresh said.

Sudheesh, who owned a stationery shop had rushed to help his neighbour save the stock, when he returned, it was all over. “I left my phone at home and swam back to my shop, thinking it would be safe. But it was flooded too. I lost everything—cash, customer records, even goods. The water invaded my home as well,” he said.

Plappally, where six members of the same family perished, became a symbol of the tragedy. In addition to the Ottankal family, four more bodies were recovered from the area. Plappally is just 5 km from Idukki's Kokkayar, which also witnessed a series of landslides on the same day, claiming seven lives, including five children.

Following the incidents, protests erupted in Plappally, with locals alleging that nearby quarries contributed to the landslides. “Two quarries were operating here, but they were forced to halt after the disaster due to public outcry,” said Plappally ward member and Koottickal panchayat president Bijoy Jose. He added that many residents were relocated to safer areas.

The people of Koottickal also face the stigma of living in an ill-fated place. “It is now labelled as a landslide-prone region. Many have left, especially from the hilly areas. Even marriage proposals are being shunned because they think it is unsafe to live here. But this is a beautiful village, and what happened was unprecedented,” said Shibu.