This is the first part of 'Heart of Disaster,' a series on the landslides that recently hit Kerala’s Wayanad
(Part 2: Wayanad has 11 quarries, out of which nine are functional, according to official documents. Did the tremors from the quarries trigger the landslide? Was it manmade?)
The stream that gurgled down the slopes of Mundakkai and Chooralmala turned savage, leaving a trail of destruction that looked like a fresh wound.
A few people, who lost everything, remain in the landslides-swept areas. John Mathai, Scientist (retired) of the National Centre for Earth Science Studies, Dr S Sreekumar, KILA's expert in disaster mitigation, and Director (retired) of the Integrated Rural Technology Centre in Palakkad, and Dr Girish Gopinath, Head of the Climate Variability and Aquatic Ecosystems at KUFOS, analyse the disaster for Manorama.
Human settlements and culture have always come up along rivers. They initially came in search of the origin of grains of gold that had washed up on the banks of the River Chaliyar. The same Chaliyar brought with it human bodies and body parts even before the settlement of gold-seekers completed one-and-a-half century.
People in Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Punchirimattam, and Attamala were left with nothing, holding onto only their lives. All their toil and the villages they had built up were destroyed in a flash. Will there be a rebirth for those villages? Why did we fail to foresee a tragedy of such a magnitude? Questions are many. The answers, mostly, are not sweet to the ears.
Epicentre in forest, slope added strength
The epicentre of the landslide was inside the forest at Vellolipparamala, high above Mundakkai and Punchirimattam in Wayanad's Meppadi panchayat. The area is about two kilometres above the nearest human-inhibited area. Vellolipparamala received 572.8 millimetres of rain on two days that ended on July 30.
On July 30 alone, 372.6 millimetres — over 204.5 in 24 hours — of extremely heavy rain pounded the area.
The rainwater seeped into the earth, turning the topsoil soggy. However, the water was more than the earth could hold. The topsoil and the disintegrating rocks, along with water, sped downhill, obliterating whatever that stood in its path.
A waterbomb that altered the river's course
A waterbomb that went off at the origin of the River Iruvazhinhipuzha, a tributary of Chaliyar, altered the course of the river. Mundakkai, three kilometres downhill, and Chooralmala five kilometres away were totally wiped away. The epicenter's elevation accentuated the damage. The boulders and slush that rolled down the hills obliterated two villages.
Incidentally, a map of the landslide-prone areas prepared by the National Earth Sciences Centre has marked the epicentre as a most-prone area. After the initial landslide at around 1 am, a narrow 20-metre-deep cove was formed at Punchirimattam. Rocks and wood checked its flow like a dam. Even as the rain continued, the water level rose and the 'dam' burst under pressure around 4 am. The flash flood swept away buildings on its banks. The cracks in the rocks made the river change its course.
Preparations in vain?
All local governments in Kerala had prepared disaster mitigation documents in 2020, with the help of Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA). The document, prepared in Meppadi panchayat in the light of the 2019 Puthumala landslide, was comprehensive. The document had marked Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Puthumala, Attamala, Vellithodu, Thrikkaippatta, and Kottatharavayal wards in Meppadi as landslide-prone.
Separate teams — warning, search, rescue, evacuation, shelter management and basic life support — were also formed at the ward level. The document detailed the places where the evacuees should be sheltered, safe routes, etc. It also included details on the availability of generators (in case of a power outage), earthmovers, food sources, diving experts and fool-proof methods to foresee the tragedy and ameliorate its effect.
Despite having a scientific master plan at its disposal, Meppadi could not check the massive impact of the landslide.
Safety first
The administration should have the capability to forewarn people of the possibility of a disaster. Institutions and technology should be developed to issue such warnings. Observatories should be equipped with modern technology. The Union government should financially back the state in establishing such mechanisms.
Comprehensive short and long-term plans should be drawn up to tackle climate change. Annual mock drills should be held ahead of the rainy season. Residents should be willing to evacuate and take shelter in places marked safe. Awareness campaigns should be rolled out to create such a mindset.
Weight of soil equivalent to 1.66 lakh elephants
Landslide-prone areas are broadly classified into three: highly-prone, moderately-prone and safe. The categorisation is based on the mountain's elevation, distribution of ducts and thickness of the topsoil.
The epicentre of the Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide was at a slope of 40 to 60 degrees. Mountains with a slope of more than 20 degrees are prone to landslides.
The thickness of the topsoil at the epicentre was three to five metres. When soaked with rainwater, the soil becomes heavier. One metre-cube of soil will weigh 2.2 tonnes, and when soaked, it increases to 2.5 to 2.8 tonnes.
The expanse of the epicenter, too, should be considered. It translates to at least five lakh tonnes of topsoil, which went down the slope along with the rainwater. If an elephant's weight is three tonnes, the weight of the soil that slid down the mountain would be equivalent to the weight of 1.66 lakh elephants! One can imagine the impact of such a heavy mass dropping 1.45 kilometres down the mountain.
Unread messages and nightmarish experiences
A resident said the first landslide occurred around 1 am. Most people were then fast asleep. Though several people, including people's representatives, sent WhatsApp messages asking the residents to evacuate considering the heavy rain and the strong currents in the river, not many saw the messages. They were all caught in the landslide.
Though braved the darkness and the rain to reach the top of double-storey houses and hilltops escaped. Two more landslides followed before daybreak, further adding to the gravity of the tragedy.
Coordination: Shinto Joseph
