The year 2024 brought significant upheaval to Kerala's social, political, and environmental landscapes. Among the events that defined the year, the Wayanad landslide in July stands out as the deadliest natural disaster, claiming over 400 lives and exposing the state's vulnerability to extreme weather events.

This is the second part of Onmanorama’s yearender series, “The Year of Upheaval,” which examines how this tragedy unfolded and the lessons it holds for Kerala's future. Read Part 1: A budding CA & a senior bureaucrat, why their tragic deaths left Kerala in shock. 

The tragedy unfolds
On July 30, the picturesque hills of Chooralmala and Mundakkai in Wayanad became the epicentre of devastation. According to World Weather Attribution, almost 10% higher rainfall was recorded before the massive landslides, burying homes and families under tons of mud and debris. The first information report by the Geological Society of India noted that extreme precipitation was the triggering factor. A single day’s rainfall of 146 mm was the third-heaviest rainfall recorded in Kerala, a phenomenon exacerbated by rising temperatures in the Arabian Sea and erratic monsoon patterns. Extreme weather events have become a grim reality for Kerala. There has been a notable shift in extremely high rainfall being received in the state, going by the pattern in the last one decade.

Warning signs ignored
While Wayanad based Hume Centre for Ecology & Wildlife issued a warning 16 hours before the landslide, the district administration did not take it into account since it was not integrated with the official warning system.  The lack of a robust, integrated warning system for the Western Ghats—a region that receives almost double the state’s average rainfall—proved costly.

With climate change significantly increasing the frequency and magnitude of extreme rainfall events, Kerala's demand for advanced warning systems has gained significance. The state has increased the number of automatic weather stations; however, these stations mainly focus on coastal areas and midlands. Kerala had long demanded setting up a Doppler radar in Kozhikode/Wayanad district boundary. The centre has communicated that in addition to the existing two radars in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, an X-Band Doppler Weather Radar(DWR) is proposed to be installed in Wayanad (North Kerala) in order to augment weather services and strengthen the early warning system in the region.

Land-use patterns
Kerala's natural disasters are always followed by debates on whether they were manmade or not. Following landslides in 2019, an expert committee was constituted to identify vulnerable settlements and shift them to safe areas. However, the manner in which two villages were entirely wiped out following a landslide raises critical questions about inhabitation in susceptible areas. Residents who survived the disaster had gotten used to camps during monsoon and returning home. It was tragically different this time. The environmentalists stress the need for a policy decision on the identification of hazard zones and strict regulations in land-utilization in areas prone to natural disasters.

Tug-of-war over funds
Four months after the landslide, the rehabilitation of victims is dragging on. A dearth of funds has hindered the state government's efforts. The demand for additional funds is caught in a deadlock. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Pinarayia Vijayan have traded words over the allocation of funds. This blame game has left survivors in limbo, awaiting a resolution to their plight.

Painful path to recovery
The survivors are battling hardship and bureaucratic delays. The state government initially promised Rs 300 per family member as immediate relief, but the disbursement was delayed. Survivors received the first instalment only in September, after protests, and the remaining amount trickled in by late November. Tea estate workers in the region, earning a meagre Rs 480 for a day’s labour, face an uphill battle. Many have to travel two hours daily to Chooralmala for work, while men struggle to find jobs. Although the government continues to provide Rs 6,000 as rent assistance, the larger process of rehabilitation remains stalled.

Mitigation and adaptation
As Kerala braces for a future marked by extreme weather events, a comprehensive strategy is essential. Mitigation efforts must begin with detailed risk mapping and integrating this data into town planning. Different government departments must collaborate instead of working in silos, and populist measures should give way to long-term, sustainable policies. Equally important are effective early warning systems and swift evacuation plans. The Wayanad landslide underscores the urgency of installation of early warning system and swift evacuation plans.

(Read Part 1 of Yearender series here: A budding CA & a senior bureaucrat, why their tragic deaths left Kerala in shock. )