The Central government has approved the Kerala government's request to declare the Wayanad landslide that swept away Mundakkai and Chooralmala near Meppadi in Wayanad as one of a 'severe nature.'

In a letter addressed to Tinku Biswal, principal secretary in the revenue & disaster management and revenue department, Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary Rajesh Gupta said that an Inter-Ministerrial Central Team has termed the disaster of a 'severe nature' for all practical purposes. 

The letter, dated December 30, also said that in the event of a severe disaster, "financial assistance is met from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) already placed at their disposal, which is further supplemented from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) in accordance with the established procedure, which includes an assessment based on the visit of an Inter-Ministerial Central Team".

It was one of the three requests the state made following the disaster; the other two were for the state to write off the loans of affected families and provide immediate financial assistance.

The July 30 landslides caused a loss of around Rs 1,200 core and left more than 300 dead. The state government informed the High Court that 1,055 houses in the affected areas became uninhabitable. Crops on 626 hectares of land were lost in the disaster. Three bridges, two schools, 136 buildings belonging to local self-government institutions, 209 shops, and 100 other buildings were also destroyed.